


Evaar’la Tuur bah Akaanir

by Phoenix1760



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: CC-2224 | Cody Needs a Hug, CT-6116 | Kix Needs A Hug, CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, Canon Divergence - Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Everyone Needs A Hug, Fix-It, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Shenanigans (Star Wars), Force-Sensitive CC-2224 | Cody, M/M, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Nonbinary Character, Other, Protective CC-2224 | Cody, Temporary Character Death, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:33:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 31,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28333920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenix1760/pseuds/Phoenix1760
Summary: Title: A New Day to FightCody has been trapped for a long time.Trapped in their own mind.Then Cody wakes up with a chance to fix everything.
Relationships: Boil & Waxer (Star Wars), CC-1010 | Fox & Quinlan Vos, CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo & CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives, CT-5385 | Tup & CT-27-5555 | ARC-27-5555 | Fives, CT-5597 | Jesse/CT-6116 | Kix, CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano, Dogma/CC-1010 | Fox, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & CT-7567 | Rex, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 192
Kudos: 481





	1. Chapter 1

Cody has been trapped for a long time.

Trapped in their own mind.

Locked in a cage crafted by code and hardwiring that had laid dormant in their brain since the start of their existence.

Code programmed on a chip implanted in their brain and the brains of every single one of their vode.

Code activated on the command of the actual traitor.

Traitor to the Republic.

Traitor to the galaxy.

Traitor to everything.

The innocents, those who only tried to help, paid the price.

Cody has been trapped, screaming, raging, fighting to break free for over a decade.

Cody has been trapped screaming, raging, crying over the loss of their dearest friend, their Jetii Alor, their possibly something more, their General.

Cody lost the chance of something more when the chip locked Cody away and replaced them with CC-2224.

CC-2224 has controlled every day, every action, every programmed thought that was not truly Cody. 

Good soldiers followed orders and CC-2224 never failed to be a good soldier for the Galactic Empire.

CC-2224 became obsolete as a landmine blast damages the chip that allowed CC-2224 control.

Cody gains freedom as their life fades away on a battlefield somewhere in the galaxy, on a planet that the Empire deemed necessary to control.

The chip finally broke, and Cody was free in their last moments. 

All Cody thought of was the devastating loss they had suffered and their desire for the chance to prevent the death of the one they might have loved if they had had the chance.

With that thought, Cody’s vision faded.

Cody woke up in a familiar bunk room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!
> 
> This is my first fanfiction work, so any feedback is helpful. There is no set update schedule for this, but I will try to update regularly. I am new to writing fanfiction though, so we'll see what happens!
> 
> I will try to use Mando'a in this work, if I make any mistakes please let me know!
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody wakes up on Kamino.

Cody wakes up reeling, heaving, and disoriented. They did not expect to wake up at all, or at least not to wake up in their cadet bunk on Kamino. They sat up slowly and looked around, assessing the situation, trying to calm their racing heart. Their batchmates in the surrounding sleeping tubes were waking up and started putting on their training armor. As Cody remained still, they began giving Cody concerned looks.

“Are you alright, Cody? ” Bly asked them, “We need to get to first meal before training, or the Trainers and the Kamineese will get suspicious.”

Cody didn’t answer, still trying to connect what his instincts and situation assessment are telling him and the sheer impossibility of it being true.

Cody was alive, their batchmates were alive, the rest of their vode were alive, and all of the vode were still themselves. Cody was on Kamino, and they and their batchmates were young. 

Cody took a shaky breath.

“Cody?” Wolffe questioned with a slight growl. “What are you doing?”

Cody was in the past, and they had a chance to fix everything.

“Did something happen to them?” Rex whispered to Fox, concerned for his ori’vod.

The voice of their vod’ika snapped Cody out of their shock.

“I’m alright, just didn’t sleep well,” Cody replied quietly, not wanting to frighten their squad.

“Fine,” Rex muttered, “I’ll take that for now Cody, but I can tell something more is going on with you, ori’vod.”

Cody quickly put on their training armor and assembled their gear. All the while, their thoughts were running a parsec a minute, coming to terms with their new situation.

‘Kriffing force osik,’ Cody grumbled in his head, sensing the truth of that statement.

Cody lined up with their squad and marched out of their bunkroom towards the mess hall for first meal. It was strange, not having another voice in their head with them. Cody has been fighting against CC-2224 for decades, and now it was just Cody in their mind. Their mind was their own again.

Cody stumbled a step.

“Cody,” Fox bit out sharply under his breath.

“I’m fine,” Cody snapped back.

Cody was not fine. They just remembered their chip was in their head, undamaged, and able to be turned back on at any second. Their own and the chips in all of their vode’s. They also realized that the Jedi were alive, specifically one Jedi was alive, and they and their brothers could be turned against the Jedi at any time. 

Cody realized that the chips weren’t going to be activated any time soon at this point, but just the thought of it happening again made them tense. They could not let it happen again.

Cody needed a plan because based on the date on his HUD screen, they didn’t have much time until their General found the vode on Kamino and the war would begin.

Again.

Cody took a deep breath as they sat down at the mess table with their batchmates, letting the small talk go in one ear and out another for now.

Cody needed to get info on the chips, preferably before they were dragged into the war because there was no way they were going to let those chips control their vode again. Cody remembered what it felt like trapped behind their own eyes, only able to watch as their body ordered their General, their Jetii, shot off that cliff.

‘Order 66 would not happen this time,’ Cody thought determinedly.

A feeling of peace and hope filled Cody, and they grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a  
> vode - siblings/brothers  
> ori'vod - older sibling  
> vod'ika - little sibling  
> kriff - a swear  
> osik - a swear  
> Jetii - Jedi  
> Alor - General
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan wakes up after a vision.

Amber eyes.

Gold paint on a white surface.

Hushed Mando’a.

A sense of trust and loyalty.

Blaster fire.

A woman’s scream of pain.

A bright blue lightsaber flashing under twin suns.

A grave amongst sand dunes.

His padawan’s anguished sobs.

Obi-Wan awoke with a start, reaching for Anakin through their training bond, finding him sleeping, if somewhat fitfully. Obi-Wan slowly stood up from his bed and moved to make a cup of tea, going over the scenes from his vision.

He had a bad feeling about their next assignment.

As the sun rose above the horizon, Obi-Wan sipped his tea and waited for Anakin to wake up.

There was a harsh gasp followed by tense silence coming from the other bedroom, and after several long minutes, Anakin shuffled out into the living area. He appeared disheveled and worried. Obi-Wan could feel his worry and alarm through the training bond.

“Anakin, is something wrong?” Obi-Wan asked, concerned by the rising tension in his padawan.

Anakin quickly looked away, trying to strengthen his shields to hide his fear from his Master.

“Padawan, I hope you know you can talk to me when something is bothering you,” Obi-Wan gently told him.

Taking a deep breath, Anakin responded shakily, “Yes, Master. I know. I had a dream that my mother is in danger, that she’s in pain.”

Anakin’s voice broke off with a choked sob, and Obi-Wan moved closer to the padawan, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Ok,” Obi-Wan stated calmly, “Was it just a dream, or was it a vision?”

Obi-Wan remembered the second half of his own vision and got the sense that this conversation could decide between a path of hope and a path of despair.

“It was a vision,” Anakin answered, “I know it was a vision. My mom is in trouble.”

“Ok, here’s what we’ll do,” Obi-Wan told him, “We still have our assignment to protect Senator Amidala, so I’ll call in one of my favors. Quinlan can go and check on your mother, and we’ll go and perform our duty as Jedi. Quin can comm us when he gets to her and makes sure she is safe. How does that sound?”

“That, that sounds good, Master,” Anakin responded quietly, “But aren’t you going to tell me to release my feelings and warn against attachment?”

“Anakin, there is a difference between attachment and love. You love your mother, so you want to make sure she is safe. It becomes dangerous and an attachment when that love becomes possessive, when one puts their attachment to one person or thing above the good of others and their duty,” Obi-Wan explained with a small smile.

Anakin blinked and looked deep in thought for a few moments.

“That makes sense,” Anakin said slowly, “Thank you.”

“Of course, my padawan,” Obi-Wan warmly answered.

“Now, we need to get ready for the day. I’ll go comm Quinlan, and you should go eat first meal. I sense this is going to be a long day.”

“Yes, Master,” Anakin answered as he moved towards the kitchen.

Obi-Wan went to fetch his comm from his bedroom, thinking ahead to the conversation and their assignment.

‘I have a bad feeling about this,’ Obi-Wan thought as he picked up the datapad that the assignment details were on.

—————————————————————————

Of course Quin would comm while they were in the middle of a speeder chase.

Obi-Wan shook his head, muttering curses under his breath as he answered the comm. He had just gotten into the speeder, and Anakin’s flying was not helping him to actually answer the comm.

Obi-Wan wouldn’t normally answer a comm in the middle of a mission, especially in the middle of the pursuit of a suspect, but once again he sensed that this conversation would be important.

“Quin, what’s the situation?” Obi-Wan shouted over the noise of Coruscanti traffic.

“Hey Obi, Shmi is safe. She was taken by Tusken Raiders, but I got to her, and she is being seen by a healer as we speak. She’ll be ok.”

Obi-Wan glanced over at Anakin, who looked relieved even as he maintained his focus on the suspect they were chasing.

“Thank you, Master Vos,” Anakin said, and Quinlan smiled in response.

“Of course kid, anytime. I’ll let you two get back to whatever mess you’ve landed yourself in this time!” Quinlan answered, with good-natured amusement in the second statement.

“Thank you, Quin. See you later,” Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and closed the comm connection.

“Ok, what’s the plan?” Obi-Wan asked, turning just in time to see Anakin jump out of the speeder, shouting over his shoulder for Obi-Wan to take over flying.

‘Oh Anakin,’ Obi-Wan thought exasperatedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> \- Phoenix


	4. Chapter 4

Rex confronts Cody a few days later.

Cody must have been at least somewhat convincing in their ‘everything is perfectly normal’ act if they had managed to delay Rex’s questioning this long. Their vod’ika was always observant and knew when something was up. It was why he thrived as Captain of the 501st and how he managed to keep up with Skywalker and Tano.

“Ok Cody what gives?” Rex demanded.

“What do you mean Rex’ika?” Cody deflected.

Rex was unimpressed, crossing his arms and glaring at his ori’vod.

“You know perfectly well what I mean mir’sheb,” Rex drawled, “You keep zoning out with your planning face appearing anytime you aren’t around any Trainers or Kamineese, you keep staring at me and our vode like you’re seeing ghosts, and you keep acting like you know something is about to happen.”

“I don’t know what you mean Rex,” Cody answered, “I’ve been acting as I usually do.”

“That was just terrible,” Rex deadpanned, “I thought your General taught you better than that.”

Cody blinked then their eyes widened in shock and hope.

“Rex’ika?” Cody whispered.

“Ori’vod, those Rishi eels did not like the vode,” Rex smirked.

“Rex,” Cody breathed and quickly pulled his vod’ika into a hug. 

They clung to each other tightly for a long moment, before they stepped back, relieved that neither was alone anymore.

“When did you…?” Cody questioned, trailing off slightly.

“The morning after you did.”

“How didn’t I realize that?” 

“I learned very quickly how to act in covert capacities. If I hadn’t, I would have been dead much sooner. I laid low and gathered info, and I realized you were acting differently from how I remembered. It isn’t noticeable. I just know you very well, ori’vod.”

“You got out?” Cody asked.

“Yeah,” Rex whispered, “Ahsoka got my chip out shortly after 66 came down. We escaped as the cruiser went down, and we joined the Rebellion. What about you?”

“I got free just as I died,” Cody replied.

There was a long silence following that statement.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t believe you about the chips, Rex,” Cody whispered.

“We have a chance to fix everything now,” Rex said quietly, “I don’t blame you for not believing me.”

Cody took a deep breath, carefully letting go of their guilt and regret.

“We need to get the information on the chips before,” Cody stated, cutting off sharply, “Before General Kenobi gets here.”

“Agreed,” Rex said, reaching over and cuffing the back of Cody’s neck, “That doesn’t leave us much time though, ori’vod.”

“I know, so we need to break into the secure labs tonight.”

“Tonight? I hope you have a plan, vod.”

“I do, though you are going to have to get a spot on third guard shift,” Cody said.

“Good thing the Kamineese prefer scheduling vode from the same squad together,” Rex replied, pulling up the guard schedule on his HUD screen, “The schedule shows two from our squad tonight. I’ll just switch Fox and me in the system.”

Decades of work on military and rebellion operations allowed Rex to quickly and easily slice into the guard schedule and sign himself up for guard duty.

“Don’t our vode usually try to ditch night shifts?” Rex asked jokingly.

“Yeah, but not when it’s a cover story,” Cody replied.

“True,” Rex said, “So, what’s the plan Codes?”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan walked into Dex’s diner, deep in thought. Anakin had already left for Naboo with Senator Amidala, acting in a security capacity. They still needed to discover who was behind the assassination attempts made against her.

“Obi-Wan!” Dex yelled across the diner.

“Hello, Dex!” Obi-Wan shouted back warmly.

“Hey, old buddy!” Dex exclaimed as he enveloped Obi-Wan in a hug.

They sit down in a booth and catch up for a short while.

“Can you tell me what this is?” Obi-Wan asked, pulling out the dart that killed the suspect Anakin and he chased through Coruscant the previous night.

“Oh, that’s a Kamineese dart,” Dex replied, studying the dart Obi-Wan had handed him, “It comes from a planet of cloners outside the outer rim, beyond the Rishi maze. The planet called Kamino.”

“Thank you, Dex,” Obi-Wan said, accepting the dart back and returning it to his robe pocket.

Obi-Wan left the diner shortly after, now with a lead.

‘I wonder what I’ll find on Kamino?’ Obi-Wan thought as he walked back to the Jedi Temple.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cody scanned the deserted hallway they walked down, Rex at their side. Their HUD read 0300. They and Rex had been patrolling for two standard hours at this point, and the Kamineese had finally retired after monitoring the start of the new guard patrols.

“Ok,” Cody said over the internal comms line they had with Rex, “We have three standard hours until shift handover, and we need to move quickly once we start the op. How long can you loop the camera feeds?”

“Best I can get is three-quarters of a standard hour before the Kamineese get suspicious,” Rex transmitted.

“Ok let’s do this,” Cody stated, “I’ll meet you at the lab door.”

“Copy,” Rex acknowledged, splitting off at the next corridor to head to the nearest control station. Cody continued on towards the secure lab.

Five minutes later, a timer appeared in their HUD and they at Rex at the lab door panel a minute later. Rex quickly and effectively slices into the door controls, overriding the lock. They step inside and scan the area.

“Clear,” Rex stated, moving forward toward the computer systems. He sliced into the computer, overriding the security system and starting a search algorithm for the control chips.

Cody began looking for datapad copies, scanning the room and the corridor for any signs that they had been discovered.

Everything remained quiet. The algorithm ran, and Rex grumbled under his breath as the program kept coming up empty.

“Thirty minutes,” Cody stated, causing Rex to let out a soft string of curses as he continued to monitor the algorithm.

Fifteen minutes later, Rex let out a quiet exclamation. He started copying files, his fingers flying over the keys.

“Ten minutes,” Cody said, before glancing up sharply as his HUD registered footsteps coming from the next corridor, “Make that five minutes.”

Rex swore but continued copying files, finishing in just under three minutes.

They made their way out of the lab quickly, making sure they left no trace in the system. They marched in step down several hallways, making their way covertly to a control panel to reset the cameras.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard behind them. Cody and Rex turned sharply around, scanning to see who was following them. They snapped to attention as they realized Jango Fett, the Prime, was standing in the hallway.

“What are you two doing?” Fett barked.

“Patrolling, sir!” Cody and Rex responded sharply.

Fett glared at them for a long minute, analyzing them.

After several long minutes, Fett ordered, “At ease, back to your patrol.”

They saluted before turning and continuing down the corridor. Several corridors later, they found a control panel, quickly reset the camera feed, and finished their shift with no further incident.

Back in their bunkroom, Rex and Cody hid the data before climbing into their sleeping tubes.

‘One step closer to fixing everything,’ Cody thought with relief and determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> ori'vod - older sibling  
> mir-sheb - smartass  
> 'ika - diminutive suffix, little, an endearment  
> vode - siblings/brothers  
> vod'ika - little sibling
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	5. Chapter 5

Obi-Wan drops out of hyperspace above a deep blue planet, the planet scans showing that the planet was covered in a vast ocean.

‘So, this is Kamino,’ Obi-Wan thought to himself, "Intriguing."

Obi-Wan reached out into the Force, letting it guide him to the right area of the planet. He received a sense of anticipation and, amusingly, the impression of a sly smirk.

‘Well, this will definitely be interesting,’ Obi-Wan mused as he began to descend into the planet’s atmosphere, aiming his starfighter for a vast city built suspended above the waves.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their squad had just begun to enter the training room for their first round of battle simulations for the rotation when Cody glanced up sharply, as they felt a rush of anticipation in the air around them.

Rex’s head tilted sharply, and Cody could read his ‘what the kriff was that Codes?’ face through his bucket. A private comm request showed up on their HUD screen at the same time. Rex had set up a secure commlink before the lab operation.

Cody accepted the request, “Yes, Rex?”

“What the kriff was that Codes?”

‘As expected,’ Cody thought idly.

“Something is happening,” Cody answered, “I think the General has found us.”

“Kriffing osik,” Rex muttered, the comm barely picking up the curses, “Ok, here we go then.”

Rex had learned not to question Cody’s instincts, as much as he learned not to question General Kenobi’s bad feelings.

“I can’t risk checking more closely here,” Cody grumbled, “Even to verify if it is the General.”

“That’s alright Codes,” Rex responded carefully, “Don’t risk bringing the Kamineese down on your head. Wait until we’re off Kamino.”

“Alright, let’s get done with these training sims,” Cody said after a minute, “The real battles are going to start soon.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan was concerned.

‘An army of clones made for the Jedi,’ Obi-Wan thought distractedly, trying to maintain the appearance of knowing what was happening on this planet and carrying on the (honestly mostly one-sided) conversation with the Kaminoan Prime Minister, ‘Ordered by a Jedi who died almost ten years ago.’

The only thing Obi-Wan knew was that he still needed to find the assassin and he desperately needed to report this concerning development to the High Council. There was also the matter of the Force becoming increasingly anticipatory, almost gleeful as Obi-Wan continued deeper into the Kaminoans’ cloning facility.

‘This is all incredibly strange,’ Obi-Wan mused.

“...than the original host, a bounty hunter named Jango Fett,” the Prime Minister finished his explanation.

“And where is this bounty hunter?” Obi-Wan questioned, “I would like to speak with him.”

“I can arrange that for you,” the Kaminoan assistant supplied behind him.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cody and Rex were once again patrolling the corridors of Tipoca City on guard duty, glad to have the excuse to possibly run into Kenobi if he was actually on Kamino.

“Do you think he came back too?” Rex asked Cody through their private comm channel.

“I don’t know,” Cody quietly replied after a long silence, “I’m not sure if I would want him to have to remember everything.”

“I can understand that,” Rex acknowledged gently, “It would be helpful to have the help of a High General, though.”

Cody sighed, “That is true.”

The two turned a corner into the next hallway before coming to a measured halt and snapping sharply to attention.

Cody could barely breathe as a feeling of joy and peace flooded the area around them.

Coming to a stop in the brightly lit corridor ahead of them were two Kamineese, but more importantly, standing there was their General.

‘Keno - no - Obi-Wan,’ Cody thought haltingly.

They and Rex stayed at attention, knowing the Kamineese would expect them to since there was an obvious Jedi standing in their presence. 

‘He looks like a drowned loth-cat,’ Cody thought amusedly as their brain started to function properly again, 'And very, very confused.'

“And these are two of our units, Master Kenobi, these two products have finished the final training programs and are ready to defend the Republic,” the Kaminoan told General Kenobi.

“Nice to meet the both of you, gentlemen,” Kenobi greeted them.

“Sir!” Cody and Rex responded, snapping off salutes. Cody caught Kenobi flinching at both the Kamineese referring to them as products and the salutes.

“What are your names?” Kenobi asked.

Cody breathed deeply, “CC-2224, Sir!”

“CT-7567, Sir!” Rex followed.

Cody definitely saw the harsh, for Kenobi, flinch that time. There was no recognition of their identification numbers, however.

‘He doesn’t remember,’ Cody thought, unsure if they should be relieved or devastated.

The General must have sensed that asking about their lack of actual names at that moment would not end well, since he continued as if the identification numbers were normal.

“Master Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Kenobi introduced himself with a slight bow, “It’s a pleasure.”

“This way, Master Kenobi,” the Kamineese started to lead Kenobi past them down the hallway.

Rex and Cody resumed their patrol after the group had passed.

“He doesn’t remember,” Rex stated gruffly.

“Yeah,” Cody answered softly, “I’m not sure if I should be relieved or not.”

“I can’t tell you, vod, I’m not sure myself.”

“We’ll have to do this by ourselves,” Cody said eventually.

“I know,” Rex acknowledged, “We’ll fix everything, no matter what.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘Well, that went well,’ Obi-Wan thought tiredly as he climbed into his starfighter.

Obi-Wan had just finished trying to detain Jango Fett, and it had not gone well.

‘At least I managed to get a tracking beacon on his ship,’ Obi-Wan mused idly, starting up the flight system and heading towards his hyperspace ring that waited in Kamino’s orbit.

In the back of his mind, he was also going over the Force's reaction when he met those two soldiers.

'The force definitely works in mysterious ways,' Obi-Wan contemplated, shelving the memory for the moment. 

Obi-Wan pulled up the tracking system to tell R4 what hyperspace coordinates to program.

“Looks like we’re heading to Geonosis, R4,” Obi-Wan told the droid, preparing to jump into hyperspace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> kriff - a swear  
> osik - a swear  
> vod - sibling
> 
> We're getting into the start of the Clone Wars now!
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	6. Chapter 6

Geonosis was definitely just as Cody remembered it.

“Move, move, move!” Cody shouted over the roar of gunships and blaster fire, ordering their yet to be named company forward out of the drop zone and towards the fight.

Towards their General.

‘We need to get there faster,’ Cody thought distractedly, ducking out from behind a shelf of cover to snipe several droids.

Rex was leading a squad on the opposite end of the company. The Captain would end up choosing these survivors to become the first members of Torrent company once Skywalker was promoted to General later in the war.

Cody signaled a forward movement to the company as they spotted an opening in the mass of droids between them and where Kenobi’s drop ship went in pursuit of Dooku.

‘Oh right,’ Cody remembered as the future Ghost company fought their way through the droids, ‘Kenobi, Skywalker, and Amidala were chained to poles and fought off hungry creatures before this battle even started. Now, he’s going after Dooku. Why does ner dikut’la Jetii always insist on being reckless?’

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan was reeling slightly, releasing as much emotion as he could into the Force.

‘So many Jedi are dead,” Obi-Wan thought, “And it’s my fault because I was captured here.”

The clones had arrived just in time, evacuating the Jedi from the arena with the gunships before they had to organize in the surrounding desert to fight off the droid army assembled there.

Their gunship was pursuing Count Dooku and was under fire from some of the droid ships. Obi-Wan could feel Anakin’s tension through their training bond and brushed his arm against the other’s to remind him to release his emotions into the Force.

Anakin nodded before carefully following his master’s advice. Obi-Wan smiled at him and sent pride through their bond, causing Anakin to smile slightly.

Then Senator Amidala was knocked out of the dropship.

“Padmé!” Anakin shouted as she was knocked unconscious from the fall. Obi-Wan thought he might try to go after her instead of following Dooku, but he stopped short for a minute, breathing deeply, before turning towards Obi-Wan.

“We need to stop Dooku,” Anakin said just loud enough to be heard over the roar of the gunship, “It is our duty to stop him, and I can’t let my feelings for Padmé stop me from protecting others.”

Yes, my padawan,” Obi-Wan praised, radiating pride in the Force, “Well done.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their squad got to the Jedi just as Dooku crushed one of the surrounding pillars, using the threat to Kenobi and Skywalker as a distraction to escape.

“Disable that ship!” Cody ordered through the internal comm system. If the Jedi could capture Dooku, they might be able to find information that could help stop the war before it even started.

Their troops started firing on the retreating Dooku and his ship, but the Count managed to deflect the blaster bolts and escape. The squad split up without having to wait for Cody’s orders, most moving to form a defense perimeter, and the medics moving to assist Kenobi and Skywalker.

Lying on the ground several feet from the injured Jedi was a lightsaber, split in half, but based on prior knowledge, Cody knew it could be repaired. Cody bent down and picked up the lightsaber, hearing a slight hum emanating from the weapon, before moving towards Kenobi and Skywalker.

“Sir,” Cody said when they came up next to Kenobi, moving to hand Kenobi the lightsaber.

The medic scowled at Cody but allowed the interaction. Kenobi just looked somewhat surprised and curious.

“Thank you, Commander,” their General replied sincerely after checking to ensure he knew the correct designation and reached out a hand to take the lightsaber he used during the battle.

As the lightsaber exchanged hands, a subtle jolt shot through the Force, making Kenobi and Cody straighten slightly. Obi-Wan hissed slightly in pain, Skywalker was too out of it to notice as the medic was stabilizing him, and Cody heard Yoda hum slightly.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan was surprised when the Commander brought the lightsaber pieces over to him. Not many can tell when a lightsaber can be repaired when it has suffered that amount of damage. Obi-Wan could tell that the lightsaber could be repaired, and he sensed that the Commander somehow could as well.

‘Curious,’ Obi-Wan thought as he thanked the Commander and moved to take the saber.

It was as if he lived a lifetime in a second.

War.

Pain.

Death.

Betrayal.

The Force screaming in agony.

Millions of voices screaming out before going silent.

Isolation.

Darkness.

Hope.

Cody.

Obi-Wan hissed in pain, both from his injuries and from the Force returning his memories of the future.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The medic quickly moved to administer a hypospray to help Kenobi’s pain, all the while glaring at Cody through his bucket.

Cody and Obi-Wan’s eyes met, and Cody knew.

‘Obi-Wan remembers.’

Cody gasped a ragged breath in time with Obi-Wan as they both felt a sharp tug as the Force connected them.

Cody felt shock that mirrored their own under the emotional turmoil Obi-Wan was carefully sifting through, releasing what he could into the Force and pushing the rest to the side until he could meditate. 

Cody gave him a look that clearly asked ‘what now?’ and took a step back to protect the image of a Commander first meeting a General. They received an impression of ‘follow my lead’ along with an ‘it’s good to see you again, my friend,’ causing them to smile slightly under their bucket.

“I believe we met on Kamino, Commander?” Obi-Wan asked as he let the medic work.

“Yes, sir,” Cody replied, “CC-2224, sir.”

“I meant to ask at the time, but do you have a name Commander or only a designation? I sensed that the Kaminoans may not approve of anything other than your assigned identification number. I want you to know that you and all of the troopers have the right to a name.”

Cody grinned outright as they answered, “Yes, sir. My name is Cody. They/them pronouns, sir.”

Cody sent a sense of gratitude to Obi-Wan as they saw their vode stare over at General Kenobi.

The General smiled softly up at Cody, “It is wonderful to properly meet you, Commander Cody.”

“Thank you, sir,” Cody said as they moved to help Kenobi to his feet when the medic signaled Kenobi was safe to move with aid. 

Cody assisted Obi-Wan to the dropship that just landed following Skywalker who was being transported by the medics on a stretcher. Obi-Wan looked towards his padawan with concern visible on his face. 

The two parted ways shortly after arriving on the star destroyer.

Cody saluted their General, exchanging a significant look with Kenobi before going to oversee the troops arriving back from the surface of Geonosis.

‘All of them just stopped being shinies,’ Cody sighed, moving to provide support, comfort, and regularity as they learned to do over the course of their first time through the Clone Wars.

Cody quickly sent a private comm message to Rex.

‘The General remembers.’

‘Oya.’ Rex responded.

Cody grinned under their bucket. This time would be better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> ner - my  
> dikut'la - stupid  
> Jetii - Jedi  
> vode - siblings  
> Oya - 'Let's hunt' a triumphant, positive, and encouraging term
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	7. Chapter 7

After the First Battle of Geonosis, everything began to move quickly.

Obi-Wan was proud as his padawan was knighted. Anakin Skywalker was ready to become a Jedi Knight this time. Obi-Wan felt sure of this, and the Force confirmed that his feelings were true.

This Anakin Skywalker was not the same Anakin who was knighted early to fight for the Republic, his soul already stained with the dark side after drawing upon it in revenge for his mother’s death. 

This Anakin Skywalker was still brilliantly reckless yet better understood that he must put duty first. He understood the difference between possessive attachment and love. 

This Anakin Skywalker put his duty over his love for Senator Padmé Amidala. He thought clearly on Geonosis without Obi-Wan having to argue with him and placed his duty to the Jedi and the Republic over his feelings for the Senator. He chose to honor his vows to the Jedi order and decided to not marry Padmé in secret.

His feelings for her remained, but he understood the importance of not letting these feelings control his actions.

Obi-Wan knew there was danger still. Palpatine still held Anakin’s trust, and they were still heading into war. Obi-Wan knew Anakin would need support. He needed to know he was trusted and that he could trust Obi-Wan, the Jedi, and the troopers. 

There was so much that needed to be done.

There was so much that needed to be protected.

There was so much that needed to be prevented.

Obi-Wan let his overwhelming emotions be released into the Force. He was meeting his troops today. Again. The 212th Attack Batallion was stationed above Coruscant, waiting for their new General to arrive and take command. 

Cody was waiting for Obi-Wan to arrive.

Obi-Wan could feel Cody’s tension and nervous energy under a layer of calm control through their new Force bond. Slowly, Obi-Wan felt Cody releasing their negative emotions, leaving only the calm and an eager anticipation.

Obi-Wan smiled slightly.

“What are you smiling about, Master?” Anakin asked.

They walked together towards the dropship waiting to bring them to the Star Destroyer in Coruscant’s atmosphere. Anakin and the 501st would be stationed with Obi-Wan for a short time as they made their way towards the Outer Rim. Captain Rex would be waiting on the 212th’s ship to meet Anakin. The two of them would stay with the 212th en route to plan for the coming battle.

“I’m looking forward to meeting the troopers,” Obi-Wan replied, “They deserve better than this war they have no choice n fighting, but I intend to do everything I can to protect them and help them gain the rights they deserve.”

“I don’t like how they have no choice in this,” Anakin said quietly.

‘Neither do I,” Obi-Wan agreed, “Neither do I. We will just have to do everything we can to help them.”

“Of course we will,” Anakin stated.

They boarded the dropship and the ship took off.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“We need to talk to him,” Rex reminded.

“I know we do, Rex,” Cody answered, “Just as I knew the last five times you told me that.”

“Sorry,” Rex mumbled, “I’m just worried. We need to know as much as we can so that we can effectively end the war and avoid the Empire.”

“I know vod’ika,” Cody soothed, “I’m worried too, but we can’t rush into anything or we could potentially make things worse.”

Just as Rex was opening his mouth to respond, Cody’s commlink went off with an incoming message from the bridge.

“This is Commander Cody,” Cody spoke into their commlink.

“Sir, General’s dropship is incoming. ETA ten minutes,” the bridge vod stated.

“Acknowledged, thank you Keys,” Cody signed off.

“Come on,” Cody said as they pulled on their bucket, “Only way we can talk to the General is if we meet him first.”

“Skywalker is coming too,” Rex reminded.

“I know, but we’ll have time to talk to Kenobi together later. We have plenty of time during hyperspace transit.”

“You’re right Codes. I just want to get him into the loop and start planning how we’re going to do this. We need to stop that demagolka sith scum.”

“We’ll get this right, Rex’ika,” Cody said as they opened their door and led the way to the hanger to meet the incoming dropship.

The dropship lands just as Cody and Rex march into the hanger bay. They make their way over to the ship, coming to attention as they see the Generals stepping out of the ship.

“General, sir!” Cody says as Rex and they salute.

“At ease, troopers,” Kenobi says kindly, “It’s lovely to see you both again, though I’m afraid I don’t know your name yet Captain.”

“Captain Rex, sir. He/him pronouns,” Rex answers, straightening.

“Very nice to meet you Captain Rex,” Obi-Wan smiles at him.

“Hello, Rex,” Anakin says beside Obi-Wan, “I’m Anakin Skywalker. It’s nice to meet you as well. I look forward to working with you and the troops.”

“It’s nice to meet you, General Skywalker,” Rex responds, “My vode and I are ready to do our duty to protect the Republic.”

“That is excellent to hear, Rex,” Anakin answers, “I hope that the Republic protects all of you in turn.”

“Of course, General,” Rex says.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan smiles as he makes his way through the ship. The troopers are all glowing in the Force, bright and determined. Sadness and grief are already staining their Force signatures, but the troops are still so light.

Obi-Wan sighs remembering how the vode were destroyed along with the Jedi in the future Obi-Wan had come from. Some managed to escape, yes, but they all lived with guilt and horror. He had only come across one vod who had escaped on Tatooine, and they could barely acknowledge each other out of the necessity of maintaining their respective covers.

Obi-Wan didn’t even know their name.

He would fix it this time, and he knew he would have Cody’s help. He also suspected Rex remembered based on how he had observed the two vode acting when he had the chance to interact with them so far, but he hasn’t been able to confirm his suspicions.

Together, they would end Sidious’ plans in their tracks.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cody and Rex made their way towards General Kenobi’s office towards the end of the day cycle. Both were determined, excited, and nervous. 

This would be the first time they could speak with Kenobi freely since they had met in this life. Rex had only seen the General once after the fall of the Republic, and he wasn’t able to talk to him or explain anything out of the potential danger for Kenobi. The last time Cody had seen their General, the chip had forced their body to call him a traitor and order him shot off a Utaupan cliff face.

They reached Kenobi’s office, and Cody presses the button on the control panel to request entry.

The door slid open, the General on the other side with a small smile on his face.

“Commander, Captain,” Kenobi greeted warmly, “Please, come in.”

They moved into the compact office and the door slid shut behind them. Obi-Wan making sure it was locked.

Kenobi sat down in his desk chair, leaning on his desk, relief clear in his posture and expression. He pulled out and turned on a portable jammer he had purchased in the time between Geonosis and receiving his battalion assignment.

“It is good to see you both,” Obi-Wan murmured.

“General,” Cody whispered, voice cracking on the last syllable, “I’m so-”

“Don’t,” Obi-Wan said sharply, “Don’t apologize. It wasn’t you. I know it wasn’t you. It was the blasted chips.”

Cody nodded slowly, relieved Obi-Wan knew they didn’t betray him.

Rex sighed, “I’m glad you made it out, sir. I don’t know what you were doing on Tatooine, but I’m glad you were alive.”

“That was you, Rex? I’m glad you got out, and I was protecting something, something important.”

“Yes, sir. I was so relieved that I found out you were alright. Ahsoka got my chip out after 66 came down. We escaped together and joined the Rebellion.”

Obi-Wan visibly sagged in relief. “Oh thank the Force. She survived. I never found out what happened to her, my grandpadawan.”

There was silence for a few long moments.

“Please, sit down, and call me Obi-Wan when we’re in private. We’ve been through enough together and apart that you can call me my name.”

Cody and Rex smiled at him as they sat in the chairs across from him.

“Cody, did you get out?” Obi-Wan asked softly.

“No, Obi-Wan,” Cody answered just as softly, “My chip broke shortly before I passed on some battlefield. I woke up on Kamino what seems like moments later.”

“I’m so sorry,” Obi-Wan said.

“Don’t apologize,” Cody responded, “There wasn’t anything you could do. I was too close to the Emperor to risk a rescue operation.”

Another heavy silence followed.

“Alright,” Rex started, “We need a plan. We already got some parts started, but you know more about what happened than we do, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan let out a heavy sigh.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan started quietly, “I suppose I do.”

Obi-Wan explained how the Jedi were labeled traitors to the Republic.

How Anakin fell to the dark side and sided with the Sith.

How Anakin led the march on the Temple.

Mustafar.

Padmé.

Luke and Leia.

Their last hope.

How he died.

By the end, all three were teary-eyed and devastated, yet all the more determined to prevent the tragedies from occurring.

Obi-Wan explained that Anakin was already on a better path because his mother was still alive and he hadn’t murdered a village of Tusken Raiders. He explained that Anakin also better understood the dangers of attachment.

Rex cringed at that statement.

“Are he and Senator Amidala…?” Rex asked.

“No, he told me how he decided against it, and he was being truthful.”

Rex sagged in relief.

“Thank the Force,” Rex grumbled, “I am not standing guard duty so he can comm his wife again.”

Everyone chuckled at that.

“We retrieved the information on the control chips from Kamino before the war began,” Cody told Obi-wan, “We need a medic to understand the medical information, but the function of the chips is perfectly clear. Rex and I both have encrypted original copies. No one can claim they’re fake.”

That is good news,” Obi-Wan said, his hand moving towards his bearded chin, “We need to get started on discreetly de-chipping the army. The sooner we can start, the more troopers we can de-chip before suspicion arises.”

“Our thoughts exactly,” Rex agreed.

“Can you think of a medic you trust that is currently stationed with either the 212th or the 501st?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Kix,” Rex answered immediately, “He can help us. I’m pretty sure the reason he disappeared last time was because someone discovered he was looking into what happened to Fives and Tup and he figured out the truth about the chips.”

“Alright,” Cody said, “Can you convince him to help us at this point?”

“Yes,” Rex replied without hesitation, “He’s loyal to the Republic, and his loyalty to the vode is like durasteel. One look at these documents and he’ll be outraged.”

“Ok,” Cody acknowledged, “I think our next step is to recruit Kix. He’s more familiar with you, Rex, so you’ll do the approach.”

“Oya vode,” Obi-Wan said with a determined grin.

“Oya,” Rex and Cody echoed.

It’s time to hunt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vod'ika - little sibling  
> vod - sibling  
> vode - siblings  
> demagolka - someone who commits atrocities, a war criminal  
> Oya - Let's hunt
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	8. Chapter 8

Rex commed Kix on his way to his temporary officer quarters the next rotation, asking him to meet there. Thankfully, Kix was stationed on Kenobi’s star destroyer during transit.

Rex thought over how he was going to approach this. This wasn’t the Kix he knew at the end of the Clone Wars. Kix was still fairly shiny. Rex knew, however, that Kix would do anything to protect his vode.

Kix was waiting outside his quarters when he arrived. 

Rex grinned under his bucket as he opened the door to his small quarters and gestured for Kix to enter. Kix did so before coming to slightly relaxed attention.

“At ease,” Rex said as he set down his bucket and turned on the jammer Obi-Wan had given him, “We’re speaking as vode.”

Kix relaxed, also removing his helmet. He glanced analytically between Rex, the jammer, and the data stick Rex had just plugged into a datapad.

“Of course,” Kix replied, “What’s going on?”

Rex opened the Kaminoan files on the datapad. He thought for a minute of what to say to Kix.

He handed the datapad to Kix, “You need to read these files over. I’ll answer what I can and we’ll go from there.”

Kix gave him a sharp, calculating look before reaching out a hand and taking the pad, sitting down to read over the data work.

There was a long silence as Kix read, his eyebrows rising higher and higher on the forehead, scowl appearing and deepening.

He looked physically ill when he got to the list of orders programmed onto the chips.

Kix took a deep breath, slowly releasing the air, before looking up at Rex steadily.

“I’m not going to ask how you got these, nor am I going to ask when. All I want to know is who knows about this and what I can do to help stop it?”

Rex smiled sharply, “So far Cody knows, as well as General Kenobi. Kenobi is on our side. He’s just as disgusted with the Kamineese as we are. He can be trusted. We need you to explain the medical side of things, and we need to know how we can remove the chips without hurting our vode.”

Kix studied him for a moment, “The chips are wired into our neurological processes. They’re dormant until an order is given by an authorized person, but the chip overrides basic thought processes when activated. Based on the files, there is only one person who can administer these orders, and I am very concerned about who the data work implies is the one behind the trigger. It is possible to remove the chips, but I’m assuming we need to be discreet about this. I need time to figure out a faster, simpler procedure that can be disguised as part of a medical exam for both currently deployed vode and those that will be deployed as the war continues.”

“Ok,” Rex replied, What do you need to accomplish that?”

“I’ll need a reprogrammed medical droid. One that’s off-record. We’ll eventually need to commandeer one in every medbay that does exams. That’s the only way I’ll be able to get the procedure to be discreet and fast without raising any alarms. I’ll also need some volunteers to have their chips removed so that I can test the procedure and ensure the incision site can be prevented from scarring.”

“Understood, you have Cody and I as volunteers already, and we’ll quietly look for other volunteers.”

“Once I have everything worked out, I can incorporate it into a standard medical check for all troopers. We’ll have to get a secure way to inform the other batallions' medics. Can I assume that Kenobi is the only Jedi who knows about this?”

“Yes, we’re keeping this as quiet as possible. That means this is all confidential.”

"Understood. I’ll need a copy of the medical files to work with. I assume you want to keep this copy.”

“I’ll get you an encrypted copy by tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Kix sighed, “Is this treason?”

“No,” Rex answered softly, “The only traitor is the one behind this.”

“Yes,” Kix replied, standing up and retrieving his bucket, “You can count on me, sir.”

“I know I can, vod,” Rex said with a smile.

Kix walked out of the room, determination in his eyes.

‘Kix is working on it,’ Rex sent to Cody via comm message.

‘That’s great. What did he say?’ Cody answered.

‘Possible. Needs to be simplified into a discreet procedure. We need volunteers.’

‘I can get Waxer and Boil to agree once I explain the situation to them.’

‘I’m sure Jesse will volunteer, and it’ll definitely calm Kix. I’d say Fives and Echo, but they’re not even off Kamino yet.’

‘Ok. Including us, that’s a good start. We’ll get Fives and Echo back eventually, Rex’ika, don’t you worry.’

‘I know vod. I just miss them.’

‘I miss them too. I’ll let the General know. See you at the meeting at 2000 hours.’

‘See you then, Codes.’

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cody and Obi-Wan walked out of the meeting room, Cody a half-step behind their General. They had just finished their final strategy meeting for Christophsis with General Skywalker and Rex as their fleets approached the planet.

They made their way towards Obi-Wan’s office, intending to complete as much data work as possible before they needed to finish preparations for the coming battle. Rex would be joining them later to finalize their plans on how to better the outcome of the coming campaign.

The duo made their way through the corridors, Obi-Wan greeting each vod they passed, remembering each name and asking after those who had yet to choose one.

‘This is why we love our Jetii,’ Cody thought fondly, smiling under their bucket as a starstruck shiny fresh off Kamino stumbled through a conversation with their General.

They entered Obi-Wan’s office and both visibly relaxed, sitting down and starting to fill out the many, many data work forms that running an army entails.

“How are the vode settling in?” Obi-Wan asked after a while, “Any problems I should know about?”

“No problems,” Cody answered, “Everyone is relaxing and becoming accustomed to working with you and General Skywalker.”

“That’s good to hear,” Obi-Wan sounded relieved, “Have you heard anything about the other battalions?”

“Good reports from my batchmates overall. Fox is already complaining about the Chancellor dumping all of his paperwork on him though.”

Obi-Wan sighed heavily, rubbing a hand across his face, “Let me know if you hear any indication that he’s activating the Guard members’ chips.”

“Of course,” Cody said, dread building in their gut as they realized what must have happened when Fives was cornered by the guard in their past life. Cody knew Fox would never willingly kill a vod.

“We also need to get evidence to remove Krell from his command earlier this time, too many vode were killed because of him last time,” Obi-Wan said with heavy remorse.

“I can set up a secret report comm line for vode to report instances of abuse. It might take some time, but the vode do know what abuse is regardless of how the Kamineese and Trainers treated us.”

“That would be a good place to start. If they send in video footage and testimonies, the Jedi Council will have evidence to remove Jedi from command and to bring before the Senate and GAR committees. Once I have the evidence, I can bring it up in a council meeting”

“I’ll get started on that right away. The sooner we can remove military leaders that are causing problems, the better.”

They settled back into a comfortable silence, both mulling over the events that were beginning to unfold.

“I missed you, Cody,” Obi-Wan whispered into the silence, “I missed you every day.”

“I missed you too,” Cody whispered back, “From the moment the chip trapped me in my mind, took control, and made me-”

“Oh Cody,” Obi-Wan gasped quietly as Cody’s voice broke off, reaching across the desk to rest his hand across theirs.

They sat together, not uncomfortable but there was an anticipation growing slowly between them.

Cody could feel a steady warmth, welcoming and caring, emanating from the area in the back of their mind that they knew was Obi-Wan. Cody sent the same warmth back, an edge of protectiveness, steady trust, and loyalty.

The door chimes.

“That will be the Captain,” Obi-Wan said, standing and walking across the room to open the door.

Rex stepped inside once the door open, sagging into the open seat next to Cody as Obi-Wan returned to his chair. 

“How are you doing, vod’ika,” Cody asked.

“I’m alright, I just forgot how exhausting keeping up with Skywalker was. He does seem a bit more level-headed than I remember him being at this point though.”

“He has definitely learned some lessons he hadn't learned correctly or at all last time,” Obi-Wan replied, smiling fondly.

“Anyway,” Rex said, “We need to finalize plans for Christophsis.”

“Yes, of course,” Obi-Wan agreed, “We have to allow the initial espionage to occur so that Sidious does not become suspicious. After we have evidence of there being a spy, you and Cody need to find Slick as soon as it is believable, make sure you leave an investigation trail.”

“We can’t let him blow up the shipyard again,” Cody continued, “Too many vode died because of his actions last time. We’ll try to prevent deaths during the tower attack as well.”

“We’ll trip him up sooner while questioning his squad,” Rex supplied, “We’ll both have our blasters set to stun and take the first opening to apprehend him.”

“As for Teth,” Obi-Wan starts lifting a hand to his chin, “I’m not sure we can do much other than have the 212th jump as soon as I rejoin the fleet. I will do my best to be quick about negotiating with the Hutts.”

“I’ll do what I can,” Rex sighed, “And I can keep her out of my head this time. Ahsoka taught me stronger shielding, both during and after the war.”

“Alright,” Cody grumbled, clearly concerned, “We’ll get there as soon as possible.”

“We have done all we can right now,” Obi-Wan stated, “We had all better get some rest before tomorrow.”

The three left Obi-Wan’s office, splitting up to head to their respective bunks.

The war raged on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vode - siblings  
> vod - sibling  
> vod'ika - little sibling
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	9. Chapter 9

The ambush that would start the campaign was set. The Generals, Rex, and Cody had planned everything exactly the same as last time, however this time they knew the ambush would fail.

Cody hadn’t realized how angry they would get when the droids ambushed the 212th and 501st squads in the towers, however. They had to rapidly let go of the harsh emotions that were driving them to immediately find Slick and punch him in the face. 

Cody carefully fell back into their battle mindset after releasing the spark of anger and grief they felt, aided by Obi-Wan’s calming presence and the feelings of peace and determination Obi-Wan sent through their bond.

Cody focused on the task at hand and made sure as many vode as possible made it to safety. Thankfully, Cody was ready to call an evac as soon as the ambush started, and they quickly moved to defend their vode against the waves of incoming clankers.

They barked orders through their comm to both the incoming gunships and the squads as the squad from the 501st ziplined to the south tower, Skywalker managing to deflect the blaster fire from the droids below. This time, every member made it to the south tower.

Blaster fire.

The clanking of the droids.

The hum of the General's lightsabers.

The squads made it into the elevator, barely fitting everyone inside the space due to the increased numbers. The gunship was under a klick out by the time the elevator reached the roof. The droids were upon them before they had the chance to get to a defensible position.

Generals Skywalker and Kenobi acted as a shield as the gunships hovered at the edge of the building, troopers leaping in as they returned fire on the droids. Within minutes, everyone was loaded and the gunship headed back to the base.

Cody anxiously counted buckets, breathing a sigh of relief as they have visual confirmation that more vode made it out alive, including everyone who had survived in their first life.

Cody grinned as Rex showed the tactical droid’s head he’d ripped off to the Generals.

They already knew why the ambush failed, but they needed evidence for those who weren’t Force-powered time-travelers.

‘Kriffing osik,’ Cody thought as they realized that they now really considered ‘the Force’ as a logical explanation. They had in their first time through this war, but that had taken time and there were limits. Time-travel had just blown those limits to pieces as well as thermal detonator destroys take down buildings.

Cody felt amusement coming from Obi-Wan, and Cody realized they must have unintentionally sent their thoughts through the bond. They huffed slightly and sent the sense of ‘I know alright.’ Cody understood Force-osik, they did, they just sometimes wished there was slightly more logic than just ‘trust in and follow the Force.’

Obi-Wan’s amusement intensified at that, so Cody poked him through the bond.

Reaching out, Cody let the calming sense of an ocean fill them and started a ripple, causing Obi-Wan to stumble slightly to the side, huffing in amusement and sending them a knowing look.

Cody sent smugness through their bond, avoiding Skywalker’s sudden curious glance in their direction by checking their comm.

By that point they had arrived back at the base, moving out of the gunship. The squads started towards the barracks, while the Generals, Rex, and Cody set off towards the command center to access the information on the tactical droid.

They continued their charade of not knowing who had actually betrayed them, allowing Slick to overhear the General’s plan to infiltrate behind the Separatist’s lines, and acting surprised when they found the active commlink.

Cody and Rex chased Slick to the mess hall, lingered for a short time, then returned to the command center to have R2 find Slick’s comm history from the barrack terminal.

Once they had evidence, they made their way to the barracks, calling Slick’s squad in to begin the interrogation, ensuring their guns were set to stun. They wouldn’t allow Slick to escape this time.

They began the questioning upon arrival, finding the squad already assembled, Slick off to the side. 

Rex remained by the door, letting Cody lead the interrogation as the higher-ranked officer, hands resting inconspicuously by his blasters, ready to draw.

Cody made their way through the squad members.

“I was cleaning my weapon,” Jester said, showing Cody his freshly scrubbed blaster.

“Good man,” they replied after checking over the blaster, handing it back to the vod.

The next two troopers reported they had been at the mess hall together, an easy story to verify. Cody moved along to the next vod.

Cody kept their anger and anticipation out of the way, maintaining their professional interrogation mien. No matter how much they wanted to go over and punch Slick in the face, they needed to do this right. They needed evidence that points directly at Slick. Besides, they refuse to act out of anger.

“I got nothing to hide. I was in the infirmary, med droid fixed my arm up. You can check the records,” He explained.

“We’ll check that,” Cody answered, moving on to Chopper, the original suspect from the squad before Slick had slipped up last time.

Cody began questioning him, Chopper evading before admitting to having kept forbidden items picked up from the battlefield.

Cody let Slick and Chopper argue, waiting for Slick to admit to knowing the Jedi were missing.

“Chopper, you don’t have to say anything until the Jedi get back,” Slick stated.

Rex discretely readied his blasters, preparing to take the shot as Chopper shouted incriminating evidence against Slick.

“What do you mean, ‘when the Jedi get back,’” Cody asked, “How did you know the Jedi were gone?”

With that, Slick prepared to attack, “I really wish you hadn’t noticed that.”

Rex fired as Slick went to pounce, catching him in the chest.

Slick slumped to the ground, stunned. Cody knelt down and checked his pulse before placing him in handcuffs. He and Rex hauled his unconscious body up between them, moving toward the exit.

“Looks like Slick is the turncoat,” Cody stated. Slick’s squad stared in abject horror. “I’m sorry,” Cody offered to the squad quietly as they left the barracks.

“I’ll call for a sweep of the base,” Rex said quietly, “Check for any tampering.”

Cody nodded as Rex typed out the orders on his comm.

Both sighed in relief as they diverted the crisis that would have been the coming battle.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ahsoka felt her heart skip as the spacecraft landed on the surface of Christophsis.

‘I’m going to have a Master!’ her inner voice squealed excitedly as the ramp lowered before she mentally chided herself, ‘No, it is unbecoming of a Jedi to squeal.’

She made her way towards Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker, her new Master. She promptly introduced herself and relayed Master Yoda’s message.

Master Skywalker seemed worried. He explained how they have been trying to call for reinforcements because there were more droids than anticipated. They had enough ships, but they could not make it through the space battle going on in the planet’s atmosphere.

“Maybe you can relay a signal through the cruiser that just dropped me off,” Ahsoka suggested, hoping to help.

After they had briefly made contact with the Jedi Temple, formal introductions began.

“I’m the new Padawan Learner. I’m Ahsoka Tano,” She introduced herself.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Master Kenobi said, an almost nostalgic smile visible on his face, “I’m Obi-Wan Kenobi, your new master.”

“I’m at your service, Master Kenobi,” Ahsoka said somewhat uneasily, “But I’m afraid I’ve actually been assigned to Master Skywalker.”

Master Skywalker looked like an eopie caught in speeder lights.

“I’m sorry, I’m afraid there’s been some kind of mistake,” Master Skywalker apologetically explained, “Master Obi-Wan was the one to request a Padawan.”

“Master Yoda told me that I was assigned as your Padawan, Master Skywalker.”

Ahsoka was only slightly panicking.

“We’ll have to figure this out later,” Master Kenobi cut in, “The droids are going to find a way around our cannons soon enough.”

“Alright,” Master Skywalker agreed, “I’ll go check with Rex. Come along, Ahsoka, you might as well join me.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rex was manning the lookout post. He knew Ahsoka would be arriving soon, and he was excited to see his vod’ika again.

He was also relieved that the battler was going better than last time. They still needed reinforcements, but more men are alive than there were before. 

“What’s the status, Rex?” General Skywalker called, coming towards Rex with Ahsoka trailing along. They still seemed awkward, but Skywalker didn’t seem as actively objective as he had in Rex’s past life.

Rex reported that everything was quiet.

“Who’s the youngling?” Rex asked, knowing Ahsoka would take offense to be called a youngling.

She retorted as expected. Rex had to fight back a smirk.

“Sir, I thought you said you’d never have a Padawan?” Rex asked.

Skywalker winced, “There’s been a mix-up. The youngling isn’t my Padawan.”

He seemed apologetic, and Rex even caught some remorse and consideration.

‘This’ll be interesting,’ Rex thought.

“Stop calling me that!” Ahsoka exclaimed, “You’re stuck with me Skyguy.”

Rex burst out laughing along with the rest of the vode surrounding them. 

“What did you just call me?” Skywalker asked, “Don't get snippy with me, and I don’t even think you’re old enough to be a Padawan.”

In the end, Skywalker still left Ahsoka with Rex, though the General seemed more amused at Ahsoka this time around.

Rex began showing her around, explaining things. He had missed his vod’ika.

“So, if you’re a captain and I’m a Jedi, then, technically, I outrank you, right?” Ahsoka asks him.

“In my book,” Rex answered fighting back a soft smile, “Experience outranks everything.”

Ahsoka stumbled.

Rex panicked.

“Kid?!” Rex asked, concerned.

“Rex!” Ahsoka gasped, her eyes much older than a fourteen-year-olds’.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ahsoka was reeling slightly. Her montrals were ringing with the shock of the Force stuffing years of memories into her current mind.

Rex was holding onto her upper arms, and Ahsoka knew from the panicked concern in his eyes that he remembered too.

She looked around, reaching out and scanning for anyone around with the Force and her hearing. When she confirmed no one was in their immediate area, she quickly hugged Rex, her or’vod, tight.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” She breathed.

“Me too, kid,” Rex answered, his voice gruff, “Me too.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They had finished their mission on Christophsis. Rex was glad that they had succeeded in making a better outcome. 

Skywalker had taken Ahsoka as his Padawan after the last battle.

Rex was so grateful to have his vod'ika back.

He was still dreading Teth, and the 501st was about to embark for that very planet.

Rex felt Cody come up behind him and place their hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll get there as soon as we can, vod’ika,” Cody swore, “I promise you. Haat, ijaa, haa’it.”

“I know you will, ori’vod,” Rex answered softly.

Cody squeezed his shoulder before letting their arm fall back to their side and making their way towards the rest of the 212th.

Rex turned and headed towards the gunship that would take him to the Resolute.

‘Please,’ Rex pled to a Force he had never felt, ‘Please help us. Please help me protect them. There can’t be only six survivors this time.’

Rex swore he felt a rush of peace, hope, and protection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a 
> 
> vode - siblings  
> kriff - a swear  
> osik - a swear  
> vod - sibling  
> vod'ika - little sibling  
> Haat, ijaa, haa'it - Truth, honor, vision - words used to seal a pact  
> ori'vod - older sibling
> 
> Any familiar dialogue is credited to the Clone Wars movie and TV show, and the Star Wars franchise.
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	10. Chapter 10

The ancient temple was visible on the horizon as the gunships broke through the atmosphere.

Skywalker wasn’t very happy about having to rescue the Huttlet, but he didn’t complain as heatedly about the matter, showing more understanding of the necessity of the mission for the war effort.

Rex ensured everyone had extra ammunition. 

No one in the 212th or 501st questioned ‘General Kenobi has a bad feeling’ anymore. Everyone just opted to carry extra ammo, tread carefully, and be extra cautious during the campaign.

The gunships landed, Torrent company spilling out and engaging with the waiting droid armies. The walkers were set down and the vode began scaling the cliff, blaster fire raining down from the waiting clankers. 

General Skywalker and Ahsoka were guarding the walkers, preventing fire from the tank droids from blasting them off the cliff face. They were progressing at a faster and steadier rate than last time, and there were already fewer casualties.

Rex wasn’t risking anything by feeling any optimism or anticipating victory.

He had been too optimistic the first time. 

They thought they won, then Ventress came.

Once again, they took the temple relatively easily, but not without losing vode. The company made their way into the abandoned temple, General Skywalker and Commander Tano in the lead.

Rex stationed the walkers around the entrance courtyard in a defensive line, already preparing to be able to fall back into the old temple.

“Keep your guard up, troopers!” Rex ordered, “This could very well be a trap we’re walking into.”

The vode took up guard positions, and a small group cautiously entered the temple.

The protocol droid came into the entry hall, pretending to be a temple caretaker. Rex knew the droid was a spy. Ahsoka told him how she and the General had run into the droid while stealing Ventress’ ship.

‘The droid is good at the charade, I guess,’ Rex thought, letting the droid report where the huttlet was before aiming a precise shot and firing upon the protocol droid. Rex nodded sharply, not acknowledging the startled looks, motioning for one of the vode to access the droids memory files.

“The droid would have been scrapped if the droid was actually the caretaker of the monastery, Sir,” Rex explained, “The droid had to be working with the Separatists.”

“The Captain is right, sir,” Riptide confirmed, “The droid was a Seppie, and it appears Ventress was trying to get a recording of the huttlet in Jedi possession to send to Dooku to use against us.”

“Good call, Rex,” Skywalker commended before continuing into the temple, “Ahsoka and I will go retrieve the huttlet while you hold the line here, be ready for anything.”

“Yes, sir,” Rex acknowledged, “Alright troopers, report ammunition levels, wounded, and keep an eye out for clankers. The Seppies could attack at any time. We already have a defensive line set up, be ready to take cover.”

“Sir, yes sir!” The troopers promptly moving to take inventory and shore up their defenses.

Rex glanced down at his comm as a transmission alert beeped at him.

“Rex,” Obi-Wan greeted, “We are en route to Teth as we speak, negotiations with the Hutts went well. What’s the situation?”

“Defense line is set up in the monastery courtyard, sir,” Rex reported, “We’re waiting for the second attack that Ventress has planned. We retrieved intel from a Seppie droid that was posing as the monastery droid that this is all one big trap to frame the Republic. General Skywalker and Commander Tano are retrieving the huttlet as we speak.”

“Alright, we’ll be arriving soon with reinforcements,” Obi-Wan replied.

“We’ll hold the line until you arrive, General,” Rex confirmed.

“May the Force be with you,” Obi-Wan signed off.

‘More will survive,’ Rex thought, hoping desperately, ‘More have to survive.’

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ahsoka did not like this. She didn’t like this at all.

She never forgot the outcome of Teth for Torrent company.

She never forgot how few vode survived Teth.

She never forgot how Teth had affected Rex.

Ahsoka knew how devastating Teth was for Rex. She knew even when she had barely known him.

Ahsoka knew how much losing vode hurt Rex, and she knew there was only so much she could do to help the vode during Teth. They needed to maintain some parts of the timeline, and the Republic needed to maintain their access to the Outer Rim trading routes that were controlled by the Hutts. 

Ahsoka did what she could.

She better protected the vode during the initial seizure of the monastery.

She ensured they protected every walker they brought so the vode had every weapon available when the droids ambushed them.

She brought medicine and a med scanner with her to treat the huttlet’s illness.

Ahsoka did her duty and got the huttlet off of Teth, hoping more vode survived this time. She reminded Anakin that the mission came first. Anakin understood faster this time, but she could still see how leaving the vode behind hurt him.

She understood that too.

She barely contained her anger when Rex had commed them, pretending to be affected by Ventress’ Force compulsion.

‘Please let more survive,’ Ahsoka asked the Force as they delivered the huttlet to Tatooine.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘More have survived,’ Rex repeated desperately, fighting tooth and nail against the droid forces that surrounded their small group.

There were more survivors still alive to fight and the 212th would arrive any minute now.

‘More would make it,’ Rex thought, ordering his troops to group up and fall back to the cover of the destroyed walkers to maintain their position and numbers until the 212th arrived.

“Get behind cover, form up a defensive front, and blast any clanker that gets too close!” Rex shouted over the roar of blaster fire.

“Yes, sir!” Vode responded sporadically, weaving in and out from behind cover.

Just as Rex feared that they wouldn’t succeed in saving more of their vode this time, General Kenobi dropped out of the sky.

“Nice of you to join us, sir!” Rex called, masking his relief in front of the troops.

“Oh you know me, Rex,” Obi-Wan replied, slicing through commando droids seemingly effortlessly, “I always find myself in the middle of trouble!”

Rex laughed, grinning sharply as 212th reinforcements dropped in from their gunships, rallying to defend their vode.

Obi-Wan quickly ran ahead to engage Ventress to prevent her from pursuing the huttlet, while the vode efficiently dealt with the clankers.

As they loaded up the gunships, Rex shared a relieved look with Cody.

‘We succeeded,’ The look conveyed. They had saved more of their vode. Twenty more vode survived Teth in this lifetime, and Rex couldn’t be more relieved.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“That went better than expected,” Cody said.

Cody, Rex, and Obi-Wan were once again meeting in Obi-Wan’s quarters aboard the Negotiator.

“Twenty-six,” Rex stated, his voice breathy, “Twenty-six vode made it off Teth.”

Cody clapped a hand on their vod’ika’s shoulder, “We’re making a difference, vod.”

Cody smiled as their vod’ika collapsed into the nearest chair, tension seeping from his body. Their vod’ika had always felt responsible for the cluster-kriff that had been Teth. Cody knew because they had spent months helping Rec through the nightmares and convincing him that he had done all he could to protect his troopers and the mission.

His encounter with Ventress alone was bad enough. It took months for Cody to get their vod’ika to talk to them about it.

Cody walked over to Obi-Wan’s small kitchen unit, preparing tea for Obi-Wan and caf for themself and Rex. Cody enjoyed tea well enough, but caf was still better in their personal opinion.

“We’ll be heading to Ryloth next,” Obi-Wan said, taking out a datapad to begin going over the mission details, “It was a straightforward campaign, but we will be better prepared for the starved creatures the droids used against us.”

“Handled them well last time,” Cody replied.

“I suppose,” Obi-Wan agreed, “But we still lost vode to them that needn’t have died.”

Cody sensed the morose, regretful thoughts beginning to trouble Obi-Wan once again. They desperately wished Obi-Wan would stop taking the blame for every single thing that went wrong during campaigns.

“I’ll look forward to seeing Boil and Waxer being tailed by the youngling again,” Cody changed the subject, wanting to raise their - no - Obi-Wan’s spirit.

“Yes, it will be good to see young Numa again,” Obi-Wan smiled softly.

Cody could feel the quiet joy and fond amusement chasing away the heaviness that had begun to trail after Obi-Wan. Cody sent along their matching amusement and happiness.

There was still much to do, but they were making progress.

They had hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vode - siblings  
> vod - sibling  
> vod'ika - little sibling
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning for a brief description of an anxiety attack.

There was little any of them could do to better the outcome of the Malevolence without bringing them all under suspicion of being in league with the Separatists.

They tried their best, yet the results remained the same.

They were too late to save anyone more than Wolffe, Sinker, Boost, and Master Plo.

The bomber strike on the Malevolence was the same.

Anakin still focused on taking out General Grievous and expected the vode pilots to keep up with his flying, no matter how many times Ahsoka voiced her concerns.

She managed to convince him to change their target at the last minute again, and she failed to prevent the deaths of most of Shadow Squadron.

The Malevolence was destroyed, but the cost hadn’t changed.

No matter how much she meditated, her hands still felt clammy, her breathing was short and sharp, and her mind was racing.

Ahsoka was back on the Resolute. The mission was over, and the adrenaline rush of battle was long past.

It still felt like there were droids around every corner and there was an ambush lying in wait for her.

Her breaths turned into gasps.

In.

Ion cannon.

Out.

Four survivors.

In. 

Nebula.

Out. 

Casualties.

In.

Droid fighters.

Out.

Silent explosions echoing in the void of space.

“Vod’ika?”

Ahsoka gasped, startling as she stumbled out of her moving meditations.

“Rex,” she huffed out, barely recognizing her friend through her blurry vision. The room was swaying slightly, and she vaguely realized that she was having an anxiety attack.

“Udesii, vod’ika,” Rex said softly, reaching out and lightly laying his hands on her shoulders, “You’re alright. You’re safe. Gar morut’yc.”

Ahsoka slowed her breathing until hers matched Rex’s slow measured breaths.

“Thanks, Rexster, I don’t know why that happened.”

“You might be used to battle stress, vod’ika, but your current body hasn’t experienced decades at war yet.”

“Ah, yeah, that might do it,” Ahsoka acknowledged, following Rex out of the training room. She suddenly felt like she could sleep for a week at least.

She saw Rex huff amusedly out of the corner of her eye as she yawned.

“I know, Rex,” Ahsoka grumbled, elbowing him in the side as they walked down the corridor, “I'm going to get some sleep. I’m not Master Obi-Wan.”

She smirked as Rex chuckled quietly.

“You do that vod’ika,” the amusement was audible in his voice, “I’ll be around for the next rotation if you need me, but remember Cody and I are going to be doing inspection runs after that.”

Ahsoka nodded, smiling softly as she entered her quarters, the door sliding closed behind her.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rex made his way to meet Cody at the fighter they would take to perform the inspections.

‘Until it gets blown up at Rishi,’ Rex mused, hand reaching down to his belt pocket to reassure himself that he had remembered the backup detonator he had gotten from their armory. No one had questioned him.

‘No one will be sacrificing themselves today,’ Rex thought as he turned into the hanger bay, seeing Cody talking to Obi-Wan.

“I’m sure everything will go to plan, sir,” Rex heard as he stepped up next to his vod.

“I know it will,” Obi-Wan replied with a smile, “Captain.”

“Sir.”

“I must be off, I’m afraid. I need to go make sure Anakin hasn’t set the holo table on fire with his frustrated glaring,” Obi-Wan said, “May the Force be with you.”

They both saluted before turning and boarding the fighter, taking their seats, and taking off.

As they made their way to the first base, they went over everything they remembered about Rishi. They would be arriving at Rishi slightly earlier than last time.

The inspections went just as well as last time. There was nothing of note in any of the other bases.

With every inspection, Rex kept checking the time on his HUD screen more often, and his hands kept flitting towards his blasters. He was ready to protect his vode.

“We’ll get there in time, Rex,” Cody reassured as they set course for Rishi.

“I know,” Rex answered, “It’s just pre-battle adrenaline.”

Cody didn’t say anything more until they hailed the base for landing.

“Rishi Base, this is Commander Cody. Here to inspect the base.”

“Acknowledged, Commander,” the Sergeant answered, giving clearance for the landing.

Cody responded before ending the comm, turning to Rex and smirking, “Remember, you’re in charge for this one.” 

Rex grinned sharply, “Yes, sir!”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘This is going better,’ Rex thought as he, Cody, and the Domino squad made their way out of the base through the ventilation ducts.

The squad lined up outside the duct tunnel once they made it outside, startling slightly at the sound of the Rishi eels that lived in the rocks.

Rex turned sharply as an eel burst out of a nearby tunnel, making to grab one of the Domino Squad members, Cutup if he remembered correctly. He quickly drew and fired directly into the eel’s eye before crouching to inspect the collapsed corpse.

“Nice shot.”

“The name’s Rex,” Rex started, repeating the introduction he gave the first time, “But you’ll call me ‘Captain’ or ‘sir.’”

Rex heard two twin gasps before the group snapped to attention with a synchronized “Sir, yes, sir!”

“I’m Commander Cody, your new boss.”

“I’m Fives,” Fives introduced, meeting Rex’s eyes, “That’s Echo, Hevy, Cutup, and Droidbait. We’re the Domino squad.” 

“Looks like we got ourselves a batch of shinies, Commander,” Rex stated, amusement clear in his voice.

‘Shinies, sir,” Echo asked, though Rex could hear an underlying smirk to their tone and could see a spark in their eyes.

“That’s right,” Rex replied, placing his hand on Echo’s chest and meeting their understanding eyes, “Your armor, it’s shiny and new, just like you.”

“We’ll take back our post, shiny or not, Captain,” Hevy stated calmly.

“There’s hope for you yet, rookie,” Rex answered with a sharp grin.

The group reentered the base through the vent system and quickly dispatched the squad of Commando droids. They moved quickly to rig the base to explode and prepared for the incoming reinforcements.

Once again, the detonator didn’t work at the last minute, Heavy trying to get the system to connect as the rest of his squad made their way back into the vents.

“Here, Hevy,” Rex said, handing over the replacement detonator, “Good thing I had this from my last mission.”

Hevy quickly set up the backup detonator, and he made his way into the vents with Rex as the droids gained entry to the control room. 

“The clones have fled,” Rex heard echo through the vents behind him.

“Cowards.”

Rex smirked.

Once they made it outside and clear of the base, Hevy activated the detonator.

Domino squad cheered as the base erupted in flames, debris collapsing into the surrounding chasms.

Echo looked up towards the sky, reporting that the Separatist fleet was fleeing now that the Republic forces had jumped into the system.

As they flagged down the deployed gunships, Rex felt relief flood through him.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was several days later. Domino squad had settled into the Resolute well, and Rex was glad to have them in the 501st.

His door chimed as someone requested entry to his office.

Rex had a feeling he knew who was on the other side of the door.

“Enter!” Rex called, and the door slid open, admitting Fives and Echo.

Their expressions were not the wide-eyed awe of shinies new to the battalion.

These were ARC troopers in shiny armor.

They saluted before coming to stand at attention.

Rex waved them off, motioning for them to sit.

Once they were seated, Fives made a move to say something before Rex held up his hand.

“Citadel,” Rex stated calmly.

Both sharply straightened in their chairs before slumping, relieved that they had been correct in their conclusions that Rex remembered.

“Welcome back, vod’ike,” Rex said warmly, smiling at them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vode - siblings  
> vod'ika - little sibling  
> Udesii - calm down  
> Gar morut'yc - you're safe  
> vod - sibling  
> vod'ike - little siblings
> 
> Any familiar dialogue is credited to the Clone Wars TV show and the Star Wars franchise.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	12. Chapter 12

Rex grinned sharply at the incognito ARC trooper across the mat from him. He could see Cody smirking in the background where they stood next to the rest of Domino Squad. The three shinies were staring somewhat slack-jawed at their vod who was actually keeping up with their new Captain. The fourth simply returned Rex’s smile as he caught his eye.

Echo smirked as they got back in their start position after their latest attack, “Well, Captain?”

“Don’t get cocky, shiny.”

The two circled each other again, testing each other’s defenses with quick jabs and cautious blows. Echo was careful not to appear too experienced, but they were doing well enough to confuse their squadmates that weren’t Force time-travelers.

Echo suddenly charged at Rex aiming for his ribs. As Rex moved to deflect the incoming blow, Echo ducked and kicked a leg out, sweeping Rex’s feet out from under him.

Rex quickly bounced back to his feet, getting a quick knee to Echo’s stomach before retreating a short distance to regain his balance.

“Not bad, shiny,” Rex subtly teased, “I can see potential here.”

Echo smirked, shifting on their feet to improve their defensive stance. They couldn’t use many of their usual moves because they were only learned by ARC troopers, but they still posed a challenge.

Rex taught Echo, however, and fought beside them for years. Rex knew their tricks, how they fought, and that they were unafraid of fighting dirty.

Rex ducked sharply to avoid a punch to the jaw, lunged forward, and tackled Echo around the middle. The duo crashed to the mats, attempting to gain the advantage. Though Rex was initially caught off-guard, he managed to lock Echo in a compression hold. Echo tapped out shortly after, realizing they couldn’t knock Rex off.

“Good spar,” Rex commented, subtle praise in his voice as he rolled off of Echo and gave them a hand up from the mats, “Alright, who’s next?”

Dead silence.

Rex shared a smirk with Cody, the mischievous glint in his eye mirrored in his vod’s. Fives had already sparred with Rex, first causing the dumbstruck looks that the three true shinies shared. None of them could believe they had just witnessed two of their batchmates keeping up with the Captain. Both of the Domino twins tired faster than normal, but that was just because their current bodies had yet to go through ARC training.

“Droidbait,” Rex called, “You’re up!”

Droidbait made his way onto the mat. Rex watched as he shook off his confusion over the matches he just witnessed and prepared himself to face him. He masked his nerves well, but Rex still caught the slight gulp and darting eyes before he settled into his opening stance.

Rex settled into his defensive position and Cody called the start of the match.

Rex stayed on the defensive as the match progressed, analyzing Droidbait’s fighting style. Droidbait was more cautious in his attacks, but Rex could see how he was analyzing his opponent’s form as thoroughly as Rex was.

‘This kid has potential,’ Rex thought before he decided to go on the offensive to test Droidbait’s defense.

Droidbait held up well, managing to deflect a majority of Rex’s hits, but in the end, Rex overpowered him.

Rex helped him to his feet, “Nice work, kid. You did well analyzing the fight. We just need to work on your reaction time.”

The next two matches went just as well. Rex noticed that Cutup tended to be more aggressive in his strategy and needed to improve his defensive skills. Hevy tended to keep up a strong defense, aiming to tire out his opponent. All three of the shinies were good. Rex knew each could succeed as ARC troopers.

As Rex walked over to Cody, he could see that his vod had the same idea.

“These recruits are good,” Cody said, handing Rex a water bottle.

“I know,” Rex smirked, “That’s why I claimed them for the 501st.

Cody huffed and rolled their eyes good-naturedly.

“Well done today,” Cody commended Domino squad, “You all get some rest before your duty rosters. Dismissed.”

Domino squad saluted before heading out of the training room. Rex caught Fives’ eye and subtly signed a meeting time and place. Fives acknowledged the signal before following the rest of his squad.

“I told him a bit later so Kix doesn’t get suspicious,” Rex explained as he and Cody made their way towards the barracks.

“Good,” Cody agreed, “We need to discuss our plans with everyone who remembers, but we definitely need an update on Kix’s project.”

Yeah, vod,” Rex replied, stopping at where their paths diverged, “See you at the meeting.”

“See you,” Cody ended, turning to head towards their quarters.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cody made their way towards Obi-Wan’s office later that cycle. Cody was relieved that they would be receiving an update from Kix and would hopefully be able to start the test removals for the chips.

Cody wanted that evil chip out of their head. They would definitely sleep better at night knowing it could no longer activate and take over again. Cody let out a shaky breath as they met Ahsoka outside Obi-Wan’s office.

“Commander,” Cody nodded at her.

“Commander,” Ahsoka returned with a teasing lilt.

Ahsoka may have been Rex’s vod’ika, but she was Cody’s aliit too. They were relieved to learn that Ahsoka had survived Order 66 with Rex and that neither was alone in the aftermath. 

The door slid open, revealing Obi-Wan and Rex already inside, chatting over tea and caf. The jammer already resting on top of his desk. They and Ahsoka made their way inside, accepting their own caf and tea respectively. Cody sending a ping of gratitude towards Obi-Wan and receiving a warm glow in return. Cody couldn’t distinguish each layer of emotions contained within the subtle burst Obi-Wan had replied with.

The group chatted amiably while they waited for Kix to arrive and give his report. They were all early, but none of them minded the company. They enjoyed the chance to relax among friends.

The door chimed a few minutes later, opening to admit Kix who saluted sharply before accepting the chair and cup of caf Obi-Wan offered.

Taking a long sip of the caf, Kix took out his encrypted datapad and began his report.

“Sirs, I’m ready to start doing the trial chip removals. The commandeered droid is programmed for quick, simple, and discreet chip removal. The procedure is able to be disguised as part of routine checkups. The medics can disguise it as a routine screening for concussion side effects. Checkups for shinies usually occur after at least after several days of training and sometimes after a campaign or skirmish. No one will question it.”

Kix stopped to take another sip of caf, swiping to a new file on his datapad.

“I believe I’ve found a way to prevent scarring after removal, though the incision site will be under a bacta patch for about a rotation and the hair removed from that area. That may become suspicious. The chips can be disabled with an electromagnetic blast at a specific frequency without harming our vode. That may be a better option due to the necessary secrecy of this project. I’d recommend removal for officers and ARC troopers and disabling chips for the rest to start to avoid suspicion. Of course, I would prefer getting those chips out of my vode’s heads as soon as possible.”

Kix cut off, taking a breath and drinking more of his caf.

“Any vode who are being considered for positions that require training on Kamino should wait until after they return to get their chips removed to prevent the Kaminoans from discovering our plans.”

Kix took another sip of caf, weighing his next words carefully.

“Are my concerns over who is behind the chips correct, sirs?”

“I’m afraid so, Kix,” Obi-Wan replied softly, “We are gathering evidence to prosecute and working to limit the damage, but we have needed to keep this quiet. If the person behind all this finds out, they could activate any of the orders on the chips. I want to protect the vode, so we have to move slowly and quietly.”

Kix nodded, the exhaustion and tension clear on his face.

“We’ll protect them, vod,” Rex said, placing a hand on his shoulder, “We never leave a man behind.”

Kix straightened with a sharp intake of breath.

“Rex,” Kix croaked out, breath heaving, “Rex, I remember and I can tell you all do too. Oh, kriffing sith hells.”

Rex moved his chair closer, pulling Kix into his side, murmuring in Mando’a.

Obi-Wan refilled his cup of caf.

“Alright, yeah, I know how to deal with the chips, and I knew last time too. I was about to bring my findings of Fives’ death to the Jedi. I was found out, and the Seppies caught me and put me in carbonite for transport. The ship never reached its destination. I woke up decades in the future. I was too late.”

“It’s not your fault, vod,” Rex said, “I’ll repeat it as often as you need to hear it, and this time we can save them.”

“I know,” Kix mumbled, “I know.”

“Fives and Echo also remember. They’ll be joining us shortly.”

“I assume if I hadn’t remembered I would have been leaving before they arrived.”

“Yeah, we don’t exactly have an explanation for two supposed shinies to have clearance for this.”

Kix chuckled, “I’ll be glad to see them. Does Jesse…?”

“Sorry, vod. He doesn’t. We don’t know the pattern for who remembers.”

“Ok, yeah, alright. So, what’s the plan? I can tell you’ve already changed things.”

“Save as many vode and Jedi we can, remove the chips as soon as possible, and gather evidence to remove him from power,” Cody summarized.

“Good plan. I’m guessing you’re keeping Skywalker away from him too? He seems more stable.”

“We’re doing our best to, yes,” Ahsoka answered, “He also has had different experiences and made better choices this time.”

“That’s good.”

“Indeed,” Obi-Wan agreed, sipping his tea.

The group fell into silence, each member mulling over their own thoughts and what had been said.

The door chimed for the second time.

Fives and Echo entered, coming to attention as the door slid closed behind them.

Obi-Wan quickly waved them off, gesturing towards the two remaining chairs and preparing two more cups of caf.

Both collapsed into their seats, Fives grinning at everyone and Echo studying each person.

“Welcome vod’ike,” Rex greeted.

“Captain,” Fives returned amiably, “Boss.”

“Fives, Echo, nice to see you both,” Cody responded, grinning at his aliit.

“Fives, Echo,” Kix breathed, face paling.

“Udesii, Kix,” Rex murmured, “Everyone’s alright.”

“I tried, Fives,” Kix whispered, “They got me before I could warn them.”

“It’s alright, vod,” Fives replied softly, “All the odds were stacked against us. I knew you and Rex believed me, even if it didn’t seem like I did. The drug Nala Se dosed me with made it hard for me to think. I don’t blame any of you.”

“I always believed you, Fives,” Rex whispered, “I tried.”

“I know you did, ori’vod,” Fives set a hand on his shoulder, “You did all you could.”

Cody leaned against Rex’s side, offering their support to their vod’ika.

Rex cleared his throat, “We need a plan for Point Rain. That’s the next major engagement and was one of the worst.”

“I recommend more tanks. The Geonosians will focus their firepower on taking out the tanks allowing more gunships to land,” Echo suggested, “More troops on the ground will give us an edge.”

“Good idea, Echo,” Cody agreed, “I also suggest implementing more aerial enemy drills for the 501st and 212th to prepare the troops for the Geonosians. Their aerial tactics really hit us hard last time.”

“That sounds like a good start,” Obi-Wan said, “We still have time to plan, so I think we have a good base for now.”

“Alright, Fives, Echo,” Rex started, “Do you both want to go through ARC training again? I’m already planning on recommending the rest of your squad for ARC training eventually.”

“I think we’ll have to,” Fives said, Echo nodding in agreement, “We have the skills, and we’ll raise suspicion if we don’t.”

“Domino squad learned to be creative,” Echo grinned, “It was the only way we were able to pass our final test.”

“Our batchmates are already getting suspicious,” Fives continued, “We’re acting differently and our skills are better.”

“They know us well,” Echo picked up Fives’ line of thought, “We’re managing so far, but they’ll need an explanation eventually.”

“We’ll handle that when the time comes,” Rex agreed, “Hopefully they wait until after ARC training.”

“We can manage until then,” Echo assured.

The conversation slowly devolved into light-hearted ribbing, catching up, and enjoying each others’ company.

The plans were falling into place.

Cody looked around contentedly at the smiling faces of their aliit.

Hope is such a beautiful thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vod - sibling  
> vod'ika - little sibling  
> aliit - clan, family  
> vode - siblings  
> kriff - a swear  
> vod'ike - little siblings  
> ori'vod - older sibling
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	13. Chapter 13

The gunships lifted off, engines roaring. 

Adrenaline rushed through every vod.

Everyone was on edge, hyped up on adrenaline and the high stakes of this campaign.

They were returning to Geonosis, the place where the galaxy broke into the shards of war.

Blasts rang out around the gunships as they swerved, increased speed, and returned fire.

Cody looked over their vode, each trooper doing last minute checks on their blasters and narrowing their focus down to the coming battle.

The next blaster shot.

The next break for cover.

The next objective.

Cody knew some of these vode wouldn’t make it back into the gunships once they landed on the surface. They were at war, and war meant vode marched away. They had done all they could to give their vode the best possible odds.

Extra tanks.

Extra ammunition.

Strict clearance level for strategy planning up until the mission briefing.

Cody knew it still wouldn’t be enough. This was war, and they were at a disadvantage.

They had a spy at the highest level.

Cody took a deep breath, clearing their mind, releasing their anxiety and pre-battle jitters, and focusing their mind on the coming battle.

“Cody, get the tanks down now!” Rang out through Cody’s comm.

“Acknowledged,” Cody spoke into the comm before raising their voice, “Pilot, begin landing sequence!”

“Copy that, Commander!”

Cody hoped more gunships made it to the surface this time. There was just as much enemy fire, but the Geonosians were focusing on taking out the tanks as they had hoped.

The gunships landed, beginning to set up the landing zone’s perimeter as Geonosians descended upon the troops.

“General Kenobi, don’t land, the zone is hot!” Cody barked into their comm.

“We can make it, Commander. The fire is focused on the tanks.”

The rest of the 212th gunships touched down shortly after, reinforcing the perimeter against the onslaught of enemy fire.

“Get the square secure!” Obi-Wan deflected incoming blaster fire as the ammunition was unloaded and the gunships moved to fill any gaps in the established perimeter.

“General, we've currently lost contact with the 501st and General Mundi's company. They were shot down. We still have contact with General Mundi’s forces, but they were forced to land short of the landing zone.”

“Very well, we’ll have to hold out until they can rejoin us. Hopefully, they won’t have too much trouble getting here.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘Of course, we’re going to have to destroy the kriffing fortress again!’ Rex thought as he shoved a vod out of the way of an incoming blast.

Torrent had abandoned their gunships klicks behind them, fighting through the flak of Geonosians towards the rendezvous point. Some were shot down, but most were forced to land because of the heavy enemy fire. They even managed to land one of their tanks this time.

“Cody!” Rex spoke into his comm unit, shouting over the raging battle around him, “Is there any way we can get reinforcements?”

“Sorry, Rex. We’re pinned down here. We need everything here to maintain our control of the landing zone.”

“Alright, I’ll tell the General!”

“Rex! What’s the word?” Skywalker shouted over his shoulder.

Rex jumped up beside him, dodging blaster fire and sniping battle droids, “They can’t provide reinforcements, sir. They’re pinned down maintaining control of the landing zone. They lost several gunships coming in.”

“Alright, we’ll need to press on then. Ahsoka and I will handle taking out the fortress when we reach it. Tell the troops to focus on providing cover fire.”

“Yes, sir!”

“There’s a break in their defenses!” Ahsoka shouted to the vode, “Let’s move!”

“Good eye, sir!”

“I try, Rexster.”

They weaved through the Geonosian fighters, ducking aerial attacks and sniping battle droids, pressing on towards the waiting fortress.

“When we get within range of the wall,” Rex ordered over comms, “Scatter and find cover. We’ll need to provide cover fire so the General and Commander can scale and destroy the wall.”

“Sir, yes, sir”

They had lost contact with General Mundi’s forces shortly after being forced down. They could only hope they make it to the rendezvous or manage to regain contact at some point. They may very well meet up with General Mundi again this time on the way to rejoining the 212th.

First, however, they needed to take out the wall.

They had to duck and cover as soon as they gained visual. Ahsoka and himself shouting for the vode to scatter. The range of the inset cannons was substantial.

“You know the plan,” Skywalker shouted, also broadcasting over comms, “Find the best cover and target the droids! Ahsoka, you’re with me. Let’s go!”

Rex got into position, laying down cover fire as he watched his two dini'la jetii sprint towards the base of the wall. The two fired their ascension cables and began scaling the wall, deflecting blaster fire back on the droids with their sabers. 

Rex signaled for several vode to target some of the wall cannons, aiming and disabling one of them while tracking the Jedi who had made it on top of the wall and were slicing through the droids stationed there.

There was a growing tension in the air as they made their way closer to the base entrances, and Rex dashed forward, signaling for the troopers to maintain their positions. The Jedi were going to need help.

Rex scaled the wall, all the while cursing Jedi, battle droids, this war, and the messed up situation he was in where he had to live through this mess for a second time.

Staying light on his feet, Rex approached the droideka from behind, disabling the droid as it was focused on blasting Ahsoka and Skywalker.

‘I really hate these droids,’ Rex thought, watching as Skywalker cut off the other droideka in half.

A battle droid stupidly opened an entrance hatch, checking to see if the droidekas had neutralized them, allowing Skywalker and Ahsoka to dump the explosives into the base.

‘Kriffing osik!’ Rex panicked as he realized what was about to happen.

“Rex! Jump!” Ahsoka shouted, taking his hand and pulling him towards the wall’s edge and off the side. Skywalker followed at their heels.

As the pair entered freefall, Ahsoka carefully slowed their descent with the Force, keeping them ahead of the explosion and debris.

Kix met them at the bottom, insisting on checking them over.

“That went well,” Skywalker said before signaling to continue towards the rendezvous and creating a path for their walker.

Rex grinned under his bucket, nodding in thanks towards his vod’ika.

Ahsoka smiled before leading the march onwards.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan was tired.

He had been jumping between different hot spots in their defenses, drawing enemy fire and working to give vode on different areas of their defensive square a break. The Geonosians were targeting the Jedi on the field, which was normal for the Separatists. Obi-Wan also tried to use this to their advantage as a way to protect the vode.

He was tired, but he would never admit it to Cody.

Oh, he knew very well that Cody was aware of what he was doing and that he was starting to tire. Obi-Wan could sense their distracted disapproval and worry through the Force bond. He couldn’t help it. He needed to protect their vode.

Obi-Wan winced as a spike of annoyance shot through the bond as Cody made it clear they were unapproving of his blatant disregard for his personal safety, again.

Obi-Wan sent back a wave of calm and the impression of ‘I have it under control.’

Cody responded with the sense of an annoyed huff and an eye roll.

Obi-Wan refocused on the battle, knowing they only needed to hold out for a little longer. He could sense Anakin and Ahsoka drawing closer. Master Mundi has also regained contact and reported that his forces had met up with the 501st on the way to the landing zone. Once they reunited, they could take down the shield and gain control of this sector.

Obi-Wan moved to another side of the defensive line that had reported an increase in enemy fire. He jumped in front of the vode stationed there, deflecting incoming blaster bolts and providing cover for the troopers behind him. The vode began sniping Geonosians easily once the additional defense gave them room to breathe and regroup.

The Geonosians must have realized they were running out of time, because they increased the rate and intensity of their attack, forcing the 212th to tighten their defensive and surrender some ground. Obi-Wan ordered the troops to fall back to stand entirely behind the walkers and gunships that formed their main perimeter.

Just as they were beginning to strain under the brutal force of the Geonosian forces, the 501st and Master Mundi’s company were spotted in the distance, fighting their way towards the landing zone. The Geonosians quickly fell under the two-sided attack and additional forces.

Once they had secured the area and gathered the injured to be treated in the medical tents, they went over the plan of attack for taking out the shield. Obi-Wan led the briefing, detailing how Anakin, Ahsoka, and himself would lead strike forces to disable the Geonosian tanks, allowing their walkers to get in range to destroy the shield. Master Mundi would follow in gunships once the shield fell to help deal with the remaining Geonosian forces.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cody was relieved as they stepped onto the gunship alongside Obi-Wan.

The rest of the Geonosian campaign had gone well, with the Republic emerging in control of the planet once again.

The Geonosian parasites had offered a slight complication, but they were dealt with much faster this time. 

Ahsoka mentioned how she had read that similar species of worms were susceptible to colder temperatures. General Unduli decided to take the precaution of exposing all supplies brought off-planet to cold temperatures to prevent any worms from harming the troops. 

Cody was also relieved they didn’t need to go anywhere near those parasites. They had had enough of having their body being controlled by outside forces.

Cody smiled at Obi-Wan, receiving an equally relieved smile in return.

Cody felt as Obi-Wan leaned his presence gently against their own, providing support, and Cody gladly offered their own in return. Cody could tell Obi-Wan was just as tired as Cody felt, though they knew he would never admit it.

‘Jetii.’

They had survived another battle, and they had succeeded in bringing more vode through the fight with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vod - sibling  
> vode - siblings  
> kriff - a curse  
> dini'la - insane  
> jetii - Jedi  
> osik - a curse  
> vod'ika - little sibling
> 
> I'm still figuring out how to write battle/fight scenes, so any feedback would be helpful!
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	14. Chapter 14

Cody froze as the lightsaber pointed directly at their neck, mere centimeters away from their skin. 

“Yield,” Cody gasped, out of breath.

The blade immediately retracted back into Obi-Wan’s saber hilt.

“Nicely done, Commander,” he praised, walking beside them over to where their water was sitting in the quiet training room, “Your form is improving, and you are getting better at sensing where your blade should move.”

Cody nodded, taking a long gulp from their water bottle.

They had restarted their training routine shortly after the fleet had gotten underway following the First Battle of Geonosis. Whenever they were ship-side, Obi-Wan and Cody trained together, with Obi-Wan continuing to teach them saber forms and how to use the Force. They tended to meditate together regularly as well, even during downtime on campaigns.

Cody had revealed they were Force-sensitive to Obi-Wan later in the war during their last life. Cody had learned the basics of each of the saber forms but never got the chance to truly hone their skills. 

They moved back onto the mats, Obi-Wan activating his lightsaber at a lower setting, and Cody activating their training saber. 

Obi-Wan had smuggled a small portion of the Temple’s training sabers onto the Negotiator. He had done the same during their last life for lessons during transit after he learned of Cody’s abilities. Obi-Wan had even started giving scheduled lessons for any interested vode during transit once other vode had felt comfortable revealing their Force abilities.

This rotation’s training session followed an impromptu meeting with General Koon, who had docked with the Negotiator for a time on his way back to the 104th. Obi-Wan and Cody herded General Koon into Obi-Wan’s office to explain the control chips, the plan to discreetly disable and remove them, and how this must remain absolutely secret. Kix had joined them to explain the medical side of things since the 212th and 501st were currently stationed together while waiting for orders.

Cody had never seen General Koon so enraged. There was a reason the vode called him General Buir, and General Koon looked ready to storm Kamino after he read all of the information on the chips. He looked somehow even angrier once he understood what the information implied about who could activate the chips.

Needless to say, they had no problem getting General Koon on their side and sworn to secrecy. 

They both fell into their opening stances. Obi-Wan took on his favored Soresu stance, while Cody settled into the Ataru opening stance since they were working on that form this training session.

Cody had found that they favored a mix of Soresu and Djem So. The two forms complimented each other since Djem So was an evolution of Soresu, and the two forms together complemented Cody’s inclination towards protecting others.

Cody made the first move, practicing the offensive side of Ataru, flipping over Obi-Wan, meeting his blade as Obi-Wan expertly blocked the attack.

Cody stepped back into a defensive down-strike as they sensed Obi-Wan’s blade coming in for a strike on their lower-left side.

Cody deflected and redirected Obi-Wan’s blade before bringing their saber back up in a quick slice towards his shoulder, which Obi-Wan deflected easily, forcing Cody to backflip out of the way of his counter-strike.

As they continued trading blows, Cody sensed another presence enter the training room, slightly projecting curiosity.

Cody maintained their focus on the duel, using a Force-push to force Obi-Wan back and give themself room to maneuver.

The duel ended a short time later with Obi-Wan victorious once more, Cody’s training saber discarded on the floor.

“That was good, Cody. Your form was more precise and your incorporation of other force abilities was much improved.”

“Very well done, Commander,” the deep, modulated voice of General Koon rang out from across the room.

“Thank you, sir,” Cody replied, instinctively coming to attention.

General Koon came over, waving for Cody to relax, “Your abilities are very impressive. I can see Obi-Wan has been teaching you for some time.”

“Since after Geonosis, sir.”

General Koon hummed, “I think it has been longer than that.”

“Sir?”

“Your secret is safe with me,” General Koon told both of them, “I could tell you were different, Obi-Wan, following Geonosis. You hid it well, but I caught a glimpse of your force signature shortly after the battle. I can tell the Force is at work here, and I will do what I can to help you both.”

“Thank you, Master Plo.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I’ve already turned on a jammer, so please be at ease. Is there anything else you feel you can tell me at this time?”

Cody shared a quick glance with Obi-Wan, sending a question through their bond.

“There is a pattern of people regaining their future memories. We are trying to prevent certain events from coming to pass.”

“I see. I am assuming the information you gave me in our meeting relates to these events.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I will do what I can, then.”

General Koon gave them his version, turning to exit the room.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t stop the Malevolence,” Cody said quietly.

“I know you would have if you could,” General Koon responded, voice heavy and tired-sounding, “I know both of you would protect the vode with your life, as I would. I understand that discretion and secrecy are of the utmost importance in this situation. You did what you could.”

With that, the General left the training room.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

General Koon departed for his rendezvous with the 104th the next rotation.

As the General boarded his starfighter, Cody suddenly felt a weight in one of their belt pouches.

Reaching into the pouch next to the clip they used to hold Obi-Wan’s lightsaber when he inevitably dropped it, they pulled out a crystal. 

Cody stared at the gem in their hand, watching as the stone seemed to glow and twinkle at them. Cody reached out to nudge it carefully in the Force, and they got the sense that the crystal was quietly laughing at their reaction.

They looked up towards General Koon’s starfighter and found that the General was already looking at them, smiling behind his mask. He waved as he started the launch sequence and was soon departing the hanger bay.

Obi-Wan came up beside them, smiling softly.

“Well,” he said, amusement and pride clear in his voice and the Force, “It looks like we’ll have to get you some saber parts.”

“Sir?”

“You’ve found your kyber crystal,” Obi-Wan smiled, “Now, you get to make your saber. I suggest taking time to meditate with your crystal. You can join me on a trip to the Temple the next time we’re on Coruscant to choose parts for your saber.”

“Alright,” Cody choked out, unable to move their gaze from their kyber crystal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vode - siblings
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	15. Chapter 15

Seeing Satine again reminded Obi-Wan of all of his faults, his failures.

He was tired. Even in his younger body, at that moment he felt as old as he’d been after decades on Tatooine. He aged double under the weight of his guilt and the harshness of the desert suns.

Obi-Wan somehow managed to keep up appearances, advising, negotiating, investigating, and bantering just as he usually did.

All he could think of was Satine’s face as her life-force slipped away after Maul had stabbed her. His mind kept replaying her final words and how she had passed into the Force while he held her in his arms.

Obi-Wan had had time to heal, the wound was no longer fresh and he had come to terms with her death, but seeing Satine again, alive, was still jarring.

Then there was the other aspect of this reunion.

Obi-Wan hadn’t understood what he had been feeling the first time he had lived this. Once he had decades to meditate on his feelings, he realized he had only felt nostalgic, remembering the love he had felt for her in his youth. He had had time to realize he held feelings for another. He just didn’t know how to tell them, especially now that they were thrust back into the past and had to save the entire galaxy from a Sith lord. 

Obi-Wan sighed as the Republic security team arrived on Mandalore to escort the Duchess to Coruscant.

‘This will be interesting,’ Obi-Wan mused wryly.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cody followed General Skywalker out of the Republic ship out onto the Mandalorian landing zone, Rex tense at their side.

Cody understood Rex’s tension. The last time he was here, he was leading vode in a siege that ended with the cruiser that was bringing Maul back to Coruscant on crashing into a moon during Order 66.

Cody made sure to project peace and calm towards Rex, hoping to provide some subtle comfort and security. They had to be careful in the eyes of the Mandalorians and the soldiers under Rex’s command. Command vode maintained a professional veneer during missions and battles and kept any vulnerability for downtime. 

Cody watched as Obi-Wan followed Duchess Satine towards the Coronet. They could see the slight slump of his shoulders and the slight twitch of strain in his polite smile. His shields had been stronger since he had been assigned the Mandalore mission, but Cody still sensed occasional breaths of guilt, sorrow, and fatigue through the bond.

Cody did their best to send support to Obi-Wan. Force knew the man needed it in this situation, and yet Cody knew he still didn’t believe he deserved any. His self-sacrificial and self-blame streaks were still going strong. Honestly, they had only gotten worse.

Once the ship had jumped to hyperspace, Cody and Rex quickly ordered security patrols throughout the ship, but mainly focused on the cargo bay. They knew the assassin droids were lying in wait, but there was little they could do about them until they revealed themselves.

Cody desperately hoped they would be able to stop them sooner this time.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘Well, this all went to Sith hells,’ Cody thought exasperatedly, blasting the minuscule assassin droids attempting to make their way out of the cargo bay to finish their programmed mission of assassinating the Duchess.

Skywalker was still slicing up the larger assassin droids, simultaneously dodging and dancing around the tiny menaces that surrounded them. His blade flashed as it swiped through the body of the first droid, cutting it in half and destroying the droid’s motivator. He quickly swung his saber back around, cutting off one of the other droid’s appendages that had been about to spear a vod.

The droid made a sound that could best be described as a hiss before it leaped up onto the ceiling and disappeared inside the ship’s ventilation system.

“Obi-Wan,” Skywalker spoke into his comm, “There’s an assassin droid heading for the Duchess. It’s making its way through the ducts. Be careful, when the larger droids are destroyed, smaller assassin droids are activated.”

“Acknowledged. I’m with the Duchess and Senators now.”

They finished disabling the remaining assassin droids in the cargo bay and double-timed it to the dining room to reinforce Obi-Wan. Cody only wished they could have been there already to watch his back.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the end, they still cut it too close.

Tal Merrik had once again taken Satine captive and was dragging her towards the ship’s exit.

Obi-Wan managed to catch up to them just in time.

Merrik held up the detonator, threatening to blow up the ship and everyone on it.

Satine made eye contact with him, and they both understood the need to stall.

“Obi-Wan, since it appears that I will never see you again, I have loved you from the moment you came to my aid all those years ago.”

“Satine, this is hardly the time or place for,” Obi-Wan started, stalling for time, “All right. You are one of my dearest friends, Satine, and I will always have a deep affection for you,” Obi-Wan said, voice shaking slightly, “I loved you when we met all those years ago, and had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order.”

“Obi-Wan.”

Just then, Anakin stepped lightly up behind Merrik and cleanly sliced off his hand, catching the bomb trigger with the Force.

Both Obi-Wan and Satine stared at him, shocked dumb for a moment.

“What?” Anakin said, “He was going to blow up the ship!”

Obi-Wan smiled slightly, “You did well, Anakin. You did what you had to in order to protect everyone, and you only did what was needed and nothing more.”

He sent quiet approval and support through their bond, feeling Anakin relax as he was reassured that he had acted correctly. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cody sighed, coming out of a meditation session, kyber crystal landing gently on the palm of their hand.

They had been on Coruscant for several rotations. The Coronet had arrived safely, with no further incidents, and Obi-Wan had handled aiding the Duchess in the following days. Everything had worked out fine.

Obi-Wan was currently seeing Satine off. She was returning to Mandalore with their neutrality secure.

Cody was glad Obi-Wan was doing better. They could see the stress being siphoned away as the danger towards Satine lessened. Cody could tell Obi-Wan desperately wanted to protect his dear friend, and Cody was determined to help him in any way they could to prevent the Duchess’ death at the hands of Maul.

Cody stood up, stretching and moving to get a glass of water and grab a ration bar from where they had left their belt. 

They checked the time before walking towards the door to their temporary quarters in the Coruscant barracks.

Cody began the trip to the Temple to meet Obi-Wan.

It was time to construct their lightsaber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vode - siblings  
> vod - sibling
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	16. Chapter 16

Cody sat in front of Obi-Wan’s low-set table in the middle of his Temple living room. Obi-Wan had cleared it off and spread out all of the lightsaber components he had found for Cody to choose from for their lightsaber.

Everywhere else in the warm, earth-toned apartment was cluttered with flimsi books, datapads, blankets, meditation mats, droid parts, tools, and homework assignments. It was a chaotic controlled mess of all three of the inhabitants that cycled through the apartment, never having anything truly tidied up because of how little time they had in these rooms lately.

Anakin and Ahsoka apparently had their own rooms elsewhere in the Temple, but Obi-Wan informed them that the two tended to end up crashed somewhere in his apartment during shore leave. All of them were more accustomed to being near many other beings, and the Temple was emptier nowadays. 

“The only thing that gets cleaned regularly is the kitchen unit,” Obi-Wan had explained, a wry smile on his face and fondness shining in his eyes when Cody had stepped inside the apartment.

Cody has settled quickly into their task, first falling into a deeper meditation now that they had the uninterrupted time to do so. As Cody sank into the shifting waves of the Force, their hand reached up and gently held their crystal where it hung from a cord around their neck.

Cody reached out to the crystal, receiving an impression of happiness, welcome, and peace wash over them. A smile settled lightly onto their face as they conversed with the crystal. 

Cody suddenly realized that they had never asked if their crystal had a name. Cody knew that their crystal, like every kyber crystal, was semi-sentient. Knowing what it was like to not have others acknowledge their sentience, Cody sent the question through their bond with the crystal.

Amusement.

Consideration.

Gratefulness.

The idea of the rays of sunshine that broke through the clouds after a storm on Kamino, hopeful and bright.

‘Sunlight?’ Cody asked.

The impression of one shaking their head, and the repetition of the rays of sunlight.

‘Sunrays?’

Another negative.

‘Sunbeam?’

The sense of anticipation of almost reaching one’s goal.

‘Beam?’

Joy and happiness steamed down the bond from Beam.

‘It’s very nice to properly meet you, Beam,’ Cody thought.

Beam radiated amusement and joy at Cody, before poking at them to open their mind to their surroundings and the items on the table before them.

Cody had studied the basics of how to construct a lightsaber. Now, they simply had to choose the correct pieces. 

Cody opened their mind, reaching out over the waves to sense the saber components that resonated with them and with Beam.

Ripples began to appear around them, and they followed these ripples to their source, fishing out the lightsaber components that were making their presence known to Cody in the Force.

As each piece was plucked out of the sea, they came together in Cody’s mindscape and in the air before them. Cody opened their eyes and the saber hung in the air in front of them, waiting for the final piece. Cody untied the cord that held their crystal with the Force, and Beam floated into the heart of the lightsaber.

The pieces locked together around Beam, and the crystal fell lightly into Cody’s outstretched hand.

Cody felt the saber resonate with them in the Force, feeling right as it sat there in their hand.

Cody came out of the light meditation they had still been in, glancing over to where Obi-Wan was reading in his worn armchair. 

Their eyes met and Cody smiled brightly, slowly rising from where they had been kneeling on a meditation mat. Obi-Wan smiled back, fondness and pride in his gaze, as well as something Cody couldn’t name.

Cody slowly looked back towards the saber in their hand, before turning on the lightsaber. The blade came to life in their hand, lighting up the room with a warm glow.

The yellow blade shined brightly, resonating warmth into the Force.

Beam cheered, and Cody could feel its joy and excitement through their bond.

Cody stepped out into the middle of the room, checked that they wouldn’t accidentally cut anything in half, and dropped into their usual starting position, a variation of the Soresu ready stance.

Cody cycled through a few of the simpler, short-range katas they had been developing. They couldn’t wipe the excited, gleeful grin off their face, and they had no desire to.

Obi-Wan watched them, still smiling softly at them.

It was a good day.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 212th was en route to their rendezvous with Master Windu and the 187th Attack Battalion. They would soon be receiving word to head to Kamino to defend against the Separatist invasion, but for now, they had time to attempt to right a wrong.

Obi-Wan stared out the viewscreen as the Negotiator made its last jump through hyperspace before they reached the coordinates. He would be coordinating with Mace to go over Separatist intel and inform him about the chips while he had the chance.

The 212th would intercept the cadet squad that Boba had smuggled himself into in an attempt to kill Mace in revenge. Hopefully, they would be able to help him, and Obi-Wan would ensure that Mace apologizes to him.

Jango Fett was fighting against them, and he was responsible for many abominations that occurred on Kamino. He most likely knew about the control chips. He was a demagolka and a shabuir, but he was Boba’s father. He was a good father whom Boba had abruptly lost.

‘Force,’ Obi-Wan thought tiredly, ‘He witnessed Mace cutting off his father’s head. Any child would react badly to that. He needs help. He doesn’t need to end up in prison.’

Obi-Wan pulled up the travel information for the cadet squad as the Negotiator came out of hyperspace. He waited until the ship appeared on the scanners before changing the destination on the papers. The ship signaled them for landing, before making its way into the hanger of the Negotiator.

Obi-Wan knew that Cody was lurking around the hangar bay, ready to follow Boba and ensure he didn’t attempt to find a way onto the Endurance or sabotage the Negotiator.

Obi-Wan would join them shortly. He didn’t want to spook Boba by being in the hangar.

Boba would need his vode’s support, even if he didn’t think he did.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cody could see Boba panicking.

‘He’s good,’ Cody admitted to themself, ‘But his panic is still apparent to any vod.’

Boba was getting concerned looks from any and every vode he passed.

Cody was going to have to approach him soon before he cuts and runs.

Cody had Waxer and Boil waiting in one of the smaller bunk rooms. Cody had explained the situation earlier, and they both jumped at the chance to help their vod’ika.

He may have been separated, but he was still a vod.

Cody hit a button on their comm, signaling Obi-Wan.

A few minutes later, Obi-Wan entered the room, coming to stand beside Cody, observing the cadet squad.

The squad’s trainer noticed Obi-Wan, straightening to attention in the presence of a High General.

“Cadets, it appears you get the honor of meeting General Kenobi,” The 212th trooper leading the tour said.

The squad snapped to attention, and Cody could sense the anger emanating from Boba.

Obi-Wan obviously sensed it too, because after greeting the cadets, he turned and walked up to Boba.

“I don’t believe you are a cadet, young one,” Obi-Wan said softly.

“Don’t call me that,” Boba snapped, before realizing his mistake.

“You must be Boba,” Obi-Wan continued, “And I’m assuming you were planning on laying a trap for Master Windu considering this cadet squad was originally going to be touring his ship.”

Boba glared at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan turned to the shocked trainer, “I will be taking Boba from here.”

Cody came up on the other side of Boba, and together the two ushered him from the room, making their way to where Waxer and Boil were waiting.

General Windu was also arriving in the hangar bay. Cody had sent a comm message explaining the situation.

Waxer and Boil, as expected, immediately started mother henning Boba the minute he stepped in the room.

Cody had stepped in quickly to remove any weapons he was carrying as well as his comm, running a trace on the frequency and dispatching a team to arrest the bounty hunters Boba was working with.

Boba was glaring so hard, Cody was surprised there weren’t any holes in the walls.

“Boba,” Obi-Wan began, “Can you explain why you want to do this?”

Boba remained silent.

“Please?”

“He killed my father,” Boba spat.

“I apologize for that.”

Boba turned and launched himself at General Windu, who had just entered the room, punching and clawing at the man.

Waxer moved forward and picked up Boba who started shouting curses at everyone, glaring murderously at Windu as he struggled in Waxer’s grasp.

Windu waited until Boba tired himself out, collapsing back into Waxer’s hold.

Waxer carefully let him down. Everyone could tell Boba wanted space.

“Boba, I apologize for killing your father. I did not want to, but I had little choice as he was trying to kill me. I am sorry you had to see your father be killed.”

“He was my buir,” Boba sniffed, trying not to let his emotions show, “And you killed him.”

“I am very sorry, Boba,” Windu repeated, “Ni ceta.”

Boba’s eyes widened in shock before he once again clamped down on his emotions.

“We’d like to help you Boba,” Cody started after several minutes of silence, “You’re our vod’ika.”

“Why would you want to help me? I was always separate.”

“You’re still our vod’ika,” Boil said, “You’re still a vod.”

“There’s a medical battalion,” Cody explained, “You can stay with the battalion, with the vode, and you would be safe. We would let you stay with us, but the 212th is an attack battalion.”

Boba opened his mouth to retort.

“I’m not saying you can’t fight, Boba, but we want you to be safe,” Cody cut in, “You’re our vod’ika and we want you somewhere safe, and that isn’t on the front lines of this war.”

“Alright,” Boba whispered after another long silence, “I’ll go and join them. I’d like to have some vode.”

Everyone smiled at him, glad that the kid would be safe and grow up with his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> demagolka - someone who commits atrocities  
> shabuir - jerk  
> vode - siblings  
> vod - sibling  
> vod'ika - little sibling  
> buir - parent  
> ni ceta - sorry, lit. I kneel
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	17. Chapter 17

The 501st landed on Kamino yesterday. Everyone was working to increase Tipoca City’s defenses as training continued in the background.

It felt somewhat surreal being back here, their vode at their side, and every hallway looking just as they remembered. They never thought they’d see this place again more times than they could count, yet they were proven wrong once again.

Echo may not have the Force, but they never failed to be in awe of what the Force makes possible.

They had prepared all they could for the coming attack, limited by the currently available intel. Their group had spent hours during transit hashing out plans for every remembered detail that they could justify as contingency planning.

Cadets would be evacuated from the barracks. Barricades would be set up in the passages leading to the DNA vault. It wouldn’t be enough to stop Ventress, but it would slow her down, buying time for General Skywalker to reach the vault.

Fives knocked his shoulder against their own, snapping them out of their deep thoughts. Echo looked up to see 99 coming towards them in the corridor, accidentally dropping the blasters he was carrying.

“99, hey!” Fives called as Echo and he moved forward to help 99 with the rest of Domino squad on their heels.

“Echo, Fives!” 99 called back, “Hevy, Cutup, Droidbait! Su cuy’gar vode! It’s good to see you all again.” 

“Su cuy’gar, 99!” Hevy said, bending to pick up one of the blasters that had rolled away from the pile, “Me’vaar ti gar, vod?”

“I’m good, Hevy. What are you all doing here?”

“There’s going to be a Separatist attack on Kamino,” Droidbait answered, taking off his finely diagonally-striped helmet.

“What can I do to help?”

Echo grinned at him.

It was good to see their vod again.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cody entered the command center in step with Rex, and the two walked to stand next to their respective generals.

The planning for the attack is going well, and it’s a good thing they are almost done with the added defenses because the attack is imminent. Cody didn’t care about the city itself or the Kaminoan demagolkas, but they would protect their vod’ike.

“Commander, Captain, you’re right on time,” Obi-Wan smiled, glancing over from where he was studying data on the holoscreen next to Skywalker.

“Sir, all defense preparations have been finalized. We’re as ready as we can be for the Separatist attack,” Cody reported.

“That’s good because I have a feeling it will happen soon.”

As Obi-Wan said that, alarms blared and Separatist ships appeared on the radar and moved to engage the Republic blockade.

“Alright, it's time. Anakin I need you up in orbit now. I’ll comm you if we need you back down here.”

“Yes, Master,” Anakin acknowledged, already rushing out the door and to the hangar bay.

“We know their targets will be the DNA vault and the barracks. They want to destroy the future of the army. They will most likely cause a distraction so that someone can steal Fett’s DNA.”

Cody watched as the space battle progressed. Once again, the Separatists ‘sacrificed’ their smaller ships, resulting in the debris falling into Kamino’s ocean.

“Sir, Grievous is sacrificing too many ships. He’s smarter than this.”

“You’re right, Commander,” Obi-Wan raised a hand to his chin, acting as if he was trying to figure out the Separatist’s strategy, “I believe the debris is the key to this.”

“Sir, could the debris be used to build assault crafts under the water?” Rex suggested, “There could be Separatist droids beneath the city.”

“That seems very likely, Captain. I believe I should go for a swim.”

Obi-Wan raised his hand and spoke into his comm, “Anakin, we need you down here. The Separatists are going to attack the surface.”

“Master?”

“I’m going to check now, but the ship debris is most likely being used to build assault crafts in the ocean.”

“Alright, Obi-Wan. I’m on my way.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The battle was going well, all things considered.

Skywalker was dueling Ventress in the DNA vault.

Obi-Wan had just engaged Grievous outside the barracks.

Cody, Rex, and the Domino squad were ready for the ambush they planned in the barracks. Thankfully, they had no vod’ike to watch over this time, and 99 was backing them up with extra ammunition.

Fives and Echo were standing across the closed doorway from Cody and Rex, waiting for the droids to breach the door. Droidbait and Cutup were lying in wait in two of the cadet bunks, ready to snipe droids as they entered the barracks. Hevy was behind one of the first stacks of supply crates, his Z-6 rotary blaster ready to mow down the incoming clankers. 99 was with him, ready with detonators.

Cody heard the first blaster shot hit the door and signaled to their vode before hitting the door controls.

The door slid open and the fight began.

They managed to take out a good amount of droids before retreating back behind the crates, allowing Hevy a clear line of fire to start mowing down droids.

99 handed Rex a grenade, who then threw it into the group of droids that had entered the barracks.

More clankers poured into the room, raining down blaster fire on them.

Cody accepted a grenade from 99 and signaled to Rex, who spoke into his commlink.

“Droidbait, Cutup, now!”

Cody lobbed a grenade into the mess of battle droids as two bunks slid open, Cutup and Droidbait sniping droids from their perches.

Rex threw the final grenade, disabling another group of droids, Domino squad scrapping clankers around them.

“I’ll go get more!” 99 shouted over the din of battle.

“99, wait!” Cody shouted, stretching a hand out to catch him, but he was already halfway to the other door, blaster fire flying around him.

Cody reached out as a blaster bolt almost hit 99’s leg, starting a wave that carried 99 to safety. It appeared as if 99 was shoved into cover by an invisible being. 

Everyone let out a relieved breath once they realized 99 was safe before taking out the remaining droids.

“What was that?” 99 asked quietly after the city was secure.

“The Force,” Cody replied just as quietly, even though they knew there weren’t any Kamineese around.

“Alright,” 99 replied with an understanding smile, “Thank you, vod.”

“Of course, vode protect vode. You did good, 99.”

The group shared a relieved smile, each member turning at the sound of footsteps entering the room.

“Kamino is secure,” Skywalker reported.

“All Separatists have been dealt with. Grievous and Ventress have fled empty-handed,” Obi-Wan continued.

Cody caught Rex’s eye, raising an eyebrow in question.

Rex nodded and followed Cody’s lead as they turned towards Domino squad.

“Fives, Echo, Hevy, Droidbait, and Cutup. You all stepped up today. Each one of you showed skill and courage,” Rex told his troopers.

Each member of Domino squad straightened to attention.

Cody picked up the speech, “You all are officially being made ARC troopers.”

“The Republic is lucky to have clones like you defending it,” Rex commended.

“Good job, vode,” Cody finished as they and Rex saluted their vode.

Domino squad returned the salute, standing proudly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vode - siblings  
> Su cuy'gar - Hello, lit. You're still alive  
> Me'vaar to gar - How are you?  
> vod - sibling  
> vod'ike - little siblings  
> demagolka - someone who commits atrocities
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	18. Chapter 18

As the last vod entered the rarely used meeting room in a secluded part of the Negotiator, Cody turned on their jammer and nodded to Kix, giving him permission to start the covert meeting.

“All right everyone, listen up. We have a lot of material to get through and not much time considering we want to keep this quiet from the nosy natborns,” Kix paused and nodded toward Obi-Wan, “Our General obviously excluded.”

There was a round of quiet chuckles from the small group of gathered vode. 

“I will answer any questions I can at the end of this briefing. I will start by saying this is entirely confidential, vode only unless otherwise specified, and even then, nothing leaves this room until myself, Cody, Rex, or General Kenobi give the word to do so. I stress that this is of the utmost importance and this information could prevent an enormous threat lying in the very heart of the Republic and the GAR.”

Everyone nodded after a somewhat stunned silence and many shared glances.

“Of course, Kix,” Waxer said, “We’re loyal to the Republic and the vode.”

“That’s why you’re here. A treasonous plot was discovered at the heart of the Republic. The General, Commander, and Captain have been working to defeat this threat. I was brought in because of my expertise and medical knowledge.”

Kix paused, taking a large gulp of his large cup of caf he had brought to the meeting.

“There is no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it. Each and every vode has an organic chip in their head. These chips are currently dormant. When activated, the chips override basic thought processes and force the being to follow any of the orders on a list of contingency orders. I will not go into detail on what all of those orders entail. The main threat of these chips is the order that would force us to, to kill our Jetii. Order 66.”

As Kix was speaking, Cody could feel their vode’s collective rising horror, fear, and shock, but as the words ‘Order 66’ left Kix’s mouth, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck each of the vode present.

Waxer gasped in a harsh breath, his already pale face turning the shade of Nabooian porcelain.

Boil hunched over in his chair, appearing to be actively preventing himself from vomiting.

Jesse gained a haunted look in his eyes, breath seeming to halt in his chest.

Wooley looked as if he was going to cry, or panic, or both.

Hardcase was struck dumb, mouth opening and closing silently.

“Commander?” Boil’s voice was hoarse with emotion and strain, “Did we really...?”

“Yes,” Cody answered, grieved that they now also held the burden of memory, but relieved to truly have the vode they knew back.

With that every vod in the room who had lived through the order were racked with harsh sobs, working through the panic, despair, grief, and guilt.

Waxer looked concerned because even if he didn’t live through the order, he can imagine the situation his fellow vode were in from the information Kix had given.

Thankfully, Kix came prepared for stress reactions and panic, quickly moving between the worse off vode, checking in with them, and helping them calm down. 

Rex was helping Jesse and Hardcase as Fives and Echo came into the meeting room to help Rex with their fellow Torrent vode, hauling a panicking Tup with them.

Thankfully, Domino squad had rejoined the 501st already, having completed ARC training.

Cody moved between the 212th vode, guiding breathing, whispering soothingly, and holding their vode and vod’ika. 

Obi-Wan moved around the room, consoling, calming, reassuring, and being with the vode.

Obi-Wan caught their eye, sending the idea of projecting calm down their Force bond.

Cody replied with the impression of a nod, before beginning to send waves of calm into the Force surrounding the group.

Together, Obi-Wan and Cody wrapped calm, peace, and safety around their vode.

Eventually, everyone calmed down. Everyone collectively decided to continue their little get together from where they all were comfortably grouped together on the floor of the office.

All of the vode were leaning against one another, offering support, comfort, and reassurance. Each of them was still here and each of them could help make sure that this time would be better.

“Can you get it out?” A hushed whisper rang out into the silence.

All eyes turned to the youngest vod there, Tup’s shining eyes peering out from their tear-streaked face.

Kix smiled reassuringly at his vod’ika, “Yes, that’s what I was going to say next before everyone remembered. I need volunteers for the first chip removals. I’ve figured how to safely and efficiently remove the chips without leaving a scar, but I need to test the procedure.”

Tup let out a relieved, choking sob, turning their head and burying their face back into Fives’ chest.

Fives looked down at his vod’ika, drawing them in closer to his chest and holding them tighter, reassuring them that they were safe.

“We’ll get your chip out Tup’ika,” Rex said quietly, reaching over to brush a strand of Tup’s hair out of their face, “We’ll get the chips out of all of our vode.”

“He’s the sith, isn’t he?” Jesse asked quietly from where he had glued himself to Kix’s side.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan answered simply.

“We’ll stop him this time,” Cody said, conviction clear in their voice.

“I’ll start removing chips tomorrow,” Kix explained, “We have time, vode. He doesn’t suspect anything, and we are keeping it that way.”

“The demagolka doesn’t stand a chance,” Rex concluded.

The group stayed in the briefing room long past the planned meeting time, relishing in having each other near and safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vod - siblling  
> vode - siblings  
> vod'ika - little sibling  
> demagolka - someone who commits atrocities, a war criminal
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	19. Chapter 19

Rex walked down the corridors of the Negotiator, making his way towards Obi-Wan’s office to meet with everyone.

Thankfully, everyone managed to calm down following the mass memory recovery and they agreed to hold another meeting in a few days. Each vod there needed the time and support to come to grasp with what they remembered and the fact they had all time-traveled. 

Kix had begun chip removals and everything went exactly as planned. The procedure left no scars was discreet and took only a few minutes. Every vod who remembered had their chips removed at this point, including Tup. Kix had left Tup’s chip for last even though they wanted it out as soon as possible. Kix wanted to make sure he could perform it safely and without hurting his vod’ika.

Tup agreed after Kix’s explanation, and everyone had supported them in the cycles between when they remembered and their chip removal. They had been on edge those days, and they hadn’t slept well. Rex still remembered Tup’s frightened whimpers as they were woken up by nightmares.

Rex’s poor vod’ika was the youngest in Torrent, and they explained to the small group of time-traveling vode how all they remembered of their last few days was disjointed moments of clarity, terrible head pain, the dreaded phrase ‘Good Soldiers Followed Orders,’ being locked in their mind for differing lengths of time, the demagolka Kaminoan scientists, and Fives.

Fives hardly let Tup’ika out of his sight, and Tup showed no annoyance at this so far. The two clung to each other for hours in the small meeting room, surrounded by their vode. 

Echo looked out for both of them, already protective of Fives, but quickly becoming just as tied around Tup’s finger as Fives was. Honestly, all of their vode were.

Everyone clung to each other, desperate to reassure each other they were there.

That this wasn’t a dream.

That they truly had a chance to fix everything.

Rex sighed as he came upon Obi-Wan’s door, raising a hand to palm the door panel and request entry.

The door slid open, revealing all of his vode mingling in the small space, Obi-Wan and Cody discussing something with Kix and the 212th vode in the corner, unsubtly leaning ever-so-slightly towards each other. Every so often, Rex could see that they were communicating over their Force bond.

Rex didn’t know who they thought they were fooling, in this timeline or the last. At least last time they were subtler about it. He had to get Cody drunk to get them to admit to liking Obi-Wan last time.

He knew the only thing separating them now is the fear of screwing everything up. The two were stressed, like everyone who remembered, about avoiding the Empire, but Rex could tell they were terrified of ruining their second chance at finding happiness together.

He hoped they got their osik together soon. He was tired of dealing with their obvious pining, and more importantly, he wanted his ori’vod and one of his closest friends to find some happiness. Force knows they deserve it after everything each of them went through.

“Hey, Captain!” Jesse called, motioning for him to join the knot of 501st troopers.

A comm call.

Being locked in his own mind.

Ahsoka.

Fighting vode.

The ship, destroyed and crashed.

CT-7567.

Jesse, controlled and imprisoned in his last moments.

Rex jumped, grabbing and twisting the arm of the hand that had been placed on his shoulder.

“Captain, Rex, it’s alright. It’s just me. It’s Jesse, ori’vod. Everything’s okay.”

“Jesse,” his voice was barely a whisper, gasped out as he regained control of his breathing. He quickly dropped Jesse’s arm, stepping back.

Jesse followed him, a knowing look gleaming from the depths of his eye. He carefully set a hand on the back of Rex’s neck pulling him into a gentle Keldable.

“It’s alright, Rex,” he whispered into the small, shared space, “It wasn’t your fault. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it as many times as you need to hear it. It was not your fault.”

“Thank you.”

Rex grasped Jesse’s shoulders, nodding shakily before withdrawing and gathering himself.

Everyone had carefully continued their own conversations, giving the two privacy, but now their fellow Torrent members came over, surrounding them in a group hug.

“How about we hold the meeting like this?” Fives asked, “I know I’m not the only one thinking it, and with everything we have to talk about I think it will help.”

“I agree,” Kix said, adopting his medic voice, “Alright, everyone in the cuddle pile, medic’s orders.”

After a decent amount of shuffling, a few grumbles, and a lot of laughter, everyone was settled in. Their aliit once again together, supporting each other, and defending each other against the galaxy.

Rex smiled at his vode from his spot next to Cody guarding the door, radiating contentment and determination.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright, I’ve sent messages to the other CMOs detailing the procedure, the necessary security, and the plans for reprogramming a medical droid. No problems were found with a vod inputting the medical procedure settings, so the medics will have no problems keeping this vode only.”

“That’s good,” Obi-Wan said, “The sooner all of the vode are free from the chips the better. What about the guard?”

“I spoke to Fox last time we were on Coruscant,” Cody said, “He understands the danger, and he didn’t mention any of the warning signs of the chips having been activated that Kix told me. He was already distrustful of the Chancellor. General Koon also taught Fox very strong shielding that can trick the demagolka.”

“Excellent, that avoids the main problem we had with the de-chipping.”

“The next main event is the Citadel,” Rex spoke softly, leaning into Echo who was on his other side.

Cody could feel the tension rolling off their vod’ike and quickly sent calm reassurance towards the group.

“I’ve been working with the intelligence vode to establish credentials. I’ll be able to slice in to retrieve more modern schematics to have a better plan,” Ahsoka said.

“That will help, and the old tunnels will help in our escape. There was much less security there,” Echo said before continuing sheepishly, “And I won’t run for the shuttle this time.”

Fives clung tighter to their arm, radiating worry, distress, and lingering grief.

Cody could feel as Obi-Wan joined them in sending peace to Fives. Once he had calmed, Cody sent a strand of gratitude down their bond.

Obi-Wan leaned more into their side as Cody heard ‘Of course’ in return.

Cody couldn’t be more grateful for having Obi-Wan there with them. 

They knew between everyone in their small group of vode, they could make a better and brighter future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vod - sibling  
> vod'ika - little sibling  
> vode - siblings  
> 'ika - little, term of endearment  
> demagolka - someone who commits atrocities, a war criminal  
> osik - a swear  
> ori'vod - older sibling  
> aliit -family, clan
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	20. Chapter 20

Ahsoka rushed down the halls of the Temple, weaving through youngling groups, padawans on their way to class, and an occasional knight. She was just shy of running, trying to get to the final briefing before it started, a datapad clutched in her hand.

Sliding to a stop in front of the open door, she hurried in and up to the holo-table.

“Masters! I’ve found it!” She exclaimed, plugging the datapad into the holo-table and keying up the files.

“What did you find, Snips?” Anakin asked, leaning forward as the files opened on the table.

“I managed to slice in and access modern maps of the citadel. I’ve been working with some of the 501st intelligence officers. We just cracked this about twenty minutes ago.”

Actually, she had managed to access the files several days ago, allowing their group to formulate a basic plan in advance, factoring in what went wrong the last time. She then repeated the process of gaining access again with Key and Ice, the vode she has been working within intelligence. They had planned this so Palpatine had less time to send information to the Separatists.

“Excellent job, Ahsoka!” Anakin reached over and clapped her on the shoulder.

“Yes, well done Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan agreed, a small smile appearing on his face before he shifted into his strategizing face, “Now, let’s see what we can improve for the mission.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They walked in step behind the generals, heading towards the carbon-freeze chambers. They knew the mission would not end the same as last time, but their pre-battle nerves were higher.

“Vod, you alright?” Fives asked, leaning into their side and drawing them out of their thoughts before they started spiraling into memories of their time with the Techno Union.

“Yeah, I’m good, Fives,” Echo responded, “Thanks.”

“No problem. You ready to become a popsicle?”

Echo shoved him off, huffing softly as they made their way to their carbon-freezing station.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ahsoka sighed as she watched everyone assigned to the mission be carbon frozen, moving to stand beside Master Plo as they were lowered into the chambers.

“Master Plo, I need to be on this mission.”

“Ah, I suspected you might say that Little 'Soka, I understand this mission is of the utmost importance and that you are most capable of helping this mission be a success.”

Ahsoka watched as he turned to face her, his head tilting in a way that means he knows what hasn’t or can’t be said. She returned the considering look with a calm nod.

“Let’s get you into a carbon-freeze chamber, young one,” the teasing lilt in his voice audible through his mask on the title.

She smiled at her Finder, happy to once again be able to talk with him.

“Yes, let’s.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey, Snips.”

“Hey, Master.”

Obi-Wan sighed, stretching his arms to get the remnants of the carbon-freezing out of his system, “I must have carbon sickness because I could swear that’s Ahsoka.”

“Your vision’s fine,” Anakin grumbled, “It’s Ahsoka’s hearing that needs help.”

“Master Plo gave me orders to join the mission.”

Obi-Wan watched as Anakin frustratedly questioned Ahsoka, but the moment he resigned himself to having Ahsoka in danger was visible on his face. He could also see when his former padawan carefully released his frustration and fear into the force, the tension in his face and posture siphoned away.

“Welcome to the mission, Ahsoka. This will definitely be a challenge,” Obi-Wan said before moving to check on the vode.

“Cody, Rex, how are you doing?”

“This is still unpleasant. You’d think it wouldn’t be as awful the second time,” Rex muttered under his breath so only their small group could hear.

“We’re alright, just checking over our supplies,” Cody said, and Obi-Wan received reassurance and peace as Cody reached out through their bond. Obi-Wan returned his own reassurance and determination, reaching back. 

They stood there for a moment in the soothing reassurance that they were each safe before turning and making final preparations.

“Artoo, guard the ship. We’ll make contact when we’re near the pickup zone.”

They headed out, working their way through the planet’s tunnel system to the Citadel.

“Everyone ready to free climb?” Rex asked.

“We have to be. We cannot risk setting off any of the electro-mines, or else they will know we’re here.”

They climbed.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cody froze as Obi-Wan hung from the entry platform by one hand, signaling for them to be silent as the clankers inspected the entry point.

As soon as the clankers left, Obi-Wan shouted over the harsh wind that the door was ray shielded, and Ahsoka pointed out that she could gain entry through the ventilation shaft. 

They climbed up to the platform once the ray shield was disabled, being careful to avoid the surrounding electro-mines.

Charger was the last vod to make it to the platform, Fives reaching out a hand to pull him up. He nearly made it onto the platform, but his foot slipped. He began to fall, an electro-mine directly in his path.

Cody felt as Ahsoka beat them to reach out and catch Charger. They watched as she carefully floated him away from the mines and up onto the platform. 

He collapsed the minute Ahsoka set him gently on the platform, gasping for breath and taking a moment to calm the adrenaline rush that must have hit him.

The group made their way through the corridors of the prison, ducking surveillance and avoiding droid patrols. No one wanted to alert the enemy of their presence. 

Once they made it to General Piell’s cell, Echo sliced into the door control, and the door slid open as they rushed in, disabling the droids in the cell and releasing the General.

“We need to get my men. My captain has the other half of the coordinates in case I broke.”

Cody very carefully siphoned the anger and disgust that filled them unbidden once they remembered that Tarkin was here into the Force.

“We’ll get them then,” Obi-Wan said, determination in his gaze, “Do you know where they are being held?”

“I heard the droids say lower levels.”

“Echo, can you access their system through that panel?” Anakin asked.

“Yes, sir. One moment.”

Echo carefully sliced into the Citadel’s system, making sure they remained invisible as they accessed the prison records.

“Got it, they’re in detention level Theta, cell 435.”

“Let’s move, Echo close the cell behind us.”

“Yes, sir.”

They were making good progress, but Cody wasn’t going to risk jinxing them by saying so.

Once again, they weaved through the cameras, staying off the radar and avoiding setting off the electric pulses built into the walls.

Cody really didn’t want to see Longshot or any of their vode electrified on this mission again.

“Me’vaar ti gar?”

“Jate,” Cody responded to Rex, “Bal gar? How are your vode doing?”

“Jate, Everyone’s good. Charger was shaken sightly, but he’s back on mission”

Cody nodded, knocking shoulder plates quietly with Rex before ducking around another corner. They had checked in with each of their 212th vode after they had cleared General Piell’s cell.

One more corridor and the group reached the cell holding Piell’s officers.

Skywalker and Ahsoka efficiently took care of the two droids waiting in the cell after Echo sliced open the door again. Fives remained steady at their shoulder. 

Since they were still undetected within the Citadel, the enlarged group decided to stick together, and they carefully made their way to the entry point for the old tunnels.

Entering the tunnels, Cody signaled for their troopers to fan out and check the perimeter for droids. Everyone made it through the hole Obi-Wan had cut into the wall, and they quickly replaced the cut section, trying to conceal their presence.

As they walked, Skywalker briefed everyone on what the plan was from here on out.

“The only way to get out of these fortress tunnels is to blow a hole at the end of this tunnel. It will alert them that something is wrong so we have to move fast. We’re heading to the fuel line tunnel which will take us near our rendezvous point.”

“Excellent plan, though you should have brought more clones to protect the information if we are attacked before reaching the next tunnel. It is their job to protect the Republic with their lives, and a larger force has greater power,” Tarkin critiqued.

Cody once again released their anger at the demagolka into the Force. They couldn’t risk being distracted, and Tarkin’s easy dismissal of their vode’s lives irritated them to no end.

“This is an infiltration mission,” Skywalker shot back, anger carefully controlled, “More people means more possibility of getting caught and getting killed. Also, their lives are worth so much more than that.”

Tarkin remained silent.

They made it to the exit point. Cody stood guard as Rex and Ahsoka set the charges. 

Obi-Wan gave the signal to blow the wall, and it came crashing down. They heard alarms going off in the distance.

“Let’s move!” Skywalker shouted, “Double-time, we need to be gone before the droids get here.”

Skywalker spoke too soon.

Droids intercepted their group halfway to the fuel line tunnel.

Duck.

Shot to a droid’s head.

Cover Obi-Wan, the reckless di’kut.

Snipe a flying droid.

Pull a vod behind cover.

Droid too close.

Kick its gun away.

Blaster bolt to its processor.

Repeat.

Cody stifled their panic at seeing Fives shove Echo out of the way of a blaster, taking the hit to his arm. He kept on fighting.  
Three vode were killed before the squad of droids were destroyed.

They ducked into the tunnel, tech carefully turned off to keep the tunnel from exploding around them, before anyone noticed anything further wrong.

Tarkin collapsed a short way from the tunnel entrance. The shot was clean through his chest, and there was nothing they could do to save them. Bacta patches only did so much, and this injury needed a bacta tank within a time frame that they couldn’t meet.

Tarkin gasped, raising one hand to his chest and the other to motion for General Piell to come forward.

Everyone continued down the tunnel, Piell catching up after memorizing the other half of the coordinates.

“We need to keep moving,” General Piell stated, and they all continued on towards the rendezvous point.

Exiting the tunnel, Skywalker contacted Artoo through his commlink, signaling for the shuttle.

They marched on, cautious of ambushes and droid patrols.

Their ship landed up ahead, and they rushed inside.

Skywalker made his way into the cockpit, taking control of the ship, and Cody made sure they were holding onto a safety strap tightly.

The ship took off, heading for the blockade. Cody hoped Skywalker could get them through the Separatist armada.

Cody watched through the cockpit door as they shot through the sky, looping around vulture droids and sniping separatist fighters. They held on for dear life.

Somehow the ship made it through and they only felt like they wanted to puke twice. Obi-Wan clapped a hand on their shoulder, wry amusement emanating from his side of the bond.

Fives and Echo were leaning into each other, their relief clear for everyone to see. 

The ship jumped into hyperspace.

They made it out.

They survived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vode - siblings  
> vod - sibling  
> demagolka - someone who commits atrocities, a war criminal  
> di'kut - idiot
> 
> Fight scenes are hard to write. Any feedback would be awesome!
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning - There is a brief panic attack described in this chapter.

Cody entered Obi-Wan’s office, ducking out of the path of a datapad flying into Ahsoka’s hand. They were going over the information on Krell, trying to find a way to prevent him from being sent to Umbara. The 212th and 501st would be deployed in three standard rotations.

“Anything on the Krell front? I’ve gathered what I could from my vode.”

“Unfortunately, no. There hasn’t been enough evidence for a case to be presented to the Council. Master Plo and I have been very vocally questioning his tactics and casualty numbers at any opportunity, but between everything else going on in this war, the other council members are distracted.”

“Is there enough there to defend and support someone who would take action against Krell if he was found to be treasonous?” Ahsoka asked from her spot on the floor surrounded by datapads and flimsiwork.

“I do believe so,” Obi-Wan gaining his faraway look of deep thought, hand subconsciously rising to stroke his beard, “If it were a member of the order definitely, but if it were a vode, there are military regulations and Kaminoan conditions that would take precedence to the ruling of the council.”

“Then it will be me.”

“Ahsoka?”

“Grandmaster, you know the Kaminoans will take any vode who harm a Jedi. You remember what happened last time. We cannot risk any vode being questioned about this, especially from the 212th or 501st. Each of them already has their chips removed.”

“I see you’re right, grand padawan mine.”

“I can handle this, Master and the council will see reason. They are not yet so blinded as they were during my trial.”

I do hope so, Ahsoka, I hope so indeed.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was the day before deployment. Everything was in place, and everyone was preparing themselves for the coming campaign.

Cody held Rex as he shook apart.

“I can’t, Codes. I can’t stand by and watch as Krell sends our vode to die.”

“You won’t be Rex’ika. You will change things, you and Ahsoka. You won’t be alone.”

“I don’t want her to get hurt. I know Ahsoka can handle herself, but she’s still my vod’ika. She’ll face the council again.”

She won’t be alone either, and the council will see reason. They aren’t at the point where they are too blinded to see, and the demagolka can’t have Tarkin prosecute her this time. Everything will be better, Rex.”

“I hope so, ori’vod. I’m not sure what I’d do if it doesn’t.”

Cody tightened their hold, pulling Rex into their chest. Rex burrowed into their shoulder, letting out his fear and anxiety through his sobs. They know he’ll stand strong in the coming days, and he won’t have to face what’s coming alone.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The campaign was going well, everything was happening according to the plan for the campaign. Krell wasn’t here to screw everything up yet, but he was en route. Anakin just received word that he was being called back to Coruscant and Krell would be taking over.

“Permission to stay, Master,” Ahsoka asks, not betraying her nerves in her stance, in her voice, or in the Force.

“Are you sure, Ahsoka?” Anakin asks, “Umbara is going to be a dangerous campaign.”

“I’m sure, Master,” Ahsoka replied, “I am meant to be here. I can feel the Force urging me to stay.”

“The Umbaran campaign will be dangerous, Ahsoka.”

“The vode will have my back, just as I’ll have theirs. The Republic needs every advantage for this campaign, and two Jedi are better than one.”

“Alright, Snips,” Anakin sighed, realizing he couldn’t sway her, “Just be careful. Rex!”

‘He’s doing much better with letting go of those he cares for,’ Ahsoka mused as Rex came to stand beside her, ‘He wouldn’t have even considered allowing me into danger without himself or a Master he trusted last time.”

“Sir?” Rex asked after saluting.

“Ahsoka will be remaining with the 501st for this campaign while I head back to Coruscant. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you to watch her back.”

“Of course, sir, we’ll watch her six,” Rex confirmed.

Anakin nodded, turning and stepping onto the waiting gunship.

The two turned to walk back towards the vode.

“Are you sure about this, vod’ika?” Rex asked quietly.

“You know I am, Rex,” Ahsoka replied, “We have to stop Krell, and we can’t risk having one of the vode being sent back to Kamino. Let me handle Krell.”

“Yes, sir,” Rex huffed grumpily, pulling his bucket back on.

“Everything will turn out fine, Rexster,” Ahsoka reassured, “You’ll see.”

“I just can’t wait to get off this haran.”

“You and me both, Rexster.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dogma stood at attention, ready to greet the general who would be leading the rest of the campaign. He worried about the rumor surrounding General Krell and the General’s casualty rates, but he was a good soldier. 

Good soldiers followed orders.

It didn’t matter who gave those orders.

The dropship’s doors opened, revealing a massive besalisk, carrying two lightsabers.

Dogma couldn’t breathe.

He couldn’t breathe.

Vode falling around him.

Fives and Jesse, standing on the execution block.

Dogma leading the execution.

Vode killing vode.

Krell’s orders, leading to the friendly fire.

He couldn’t breathe.

Vode, dead by lightsaber.

A blaster and a cell.

Kaminoans.

Tup grabbed his arm as his knees started to give out. He could hear their voice through the commlink in his bucket, but their voice was muffled as if the commline was distorted.

“Dogma, Dogma, vod, it’s alright, udesii. You’re alright.”

As soon as they were dismissed, Tup guided him into a group of vode out of sight of the darjetii.

“Osik, he remembered now?” Fives said, keeping his voice low.

“It’s alright vod’ika, we’re handling it. It won’t happen this time,” Echo stood in front of Dogma, resting their hands on his shoulder plates.

Dogma could only nod, barely keeping himself on his feet. 

Hardcase moved forward, taking his hands and leading him through a grounding exercise. He needed to get his equilibrium back for the coming battle and to keep off Krell’s radar.

“Okay, vod, follow my breathing.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rex clenched his jaw.

The last battle went to osik, and he could tell Krell was happy about it.

If it wasn’t for Ahsoka, the shiny would have triggered the landmine again.

The vod would never have gotten a name.

Thankfully, they managed to capture the airbase.

Ahsoka went with Fives and Jesse in the Umbaran fighters to destroy the control ship.

Dogma was stable, and Rex was grateful that Tup had been sticking close to their batchmate.

What a time to regain your memories.

Rex saw three Umbaran ships returning to the airbase. He couldn’t help the relieved sigh.

He put his bucket back on.

Things were about to get worse.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And who gave the authorization for this mission? I know I didn’t. In fact, I directly forbid it.”

“I did, Master Krell,” Ahsoka spoke, adopting the negotiation tone she learned from Master Obi-Wan, “The Force showed me the path that needed to be taken.”

“Is that so, Padawan Tano?”

“Yes, I followed the will of the Force, as my Master teaches me to do.”

“Hmm,” Krell hummed, turning to look out the observation window.

Before he could say anything more, the recording reporting that Umbarans had stolen 212th armor appeared on the holotable.

“Captain, you must take your men and take care of these Umabrans. We cannot risk this base falling into the enemy’s hands.”

“That trooper gave no designation, nor any clearance codes, Master. Shouldn’t we verify the intel first?”

“There is no time. Captain, now.”

“I will lead the squad. Captain Rex-”

“The Captain can handle this small squad without your help, Padawan.”

“That may be so, Master Krell, but I will be going with my troops,” Ahsoka asserted, “Captain, gather the troopers, we’ll be leaving in ten.”

“Commander,” Rex acknowledged, turning to exit the room. Ahsoka followed behind him, leaving Krell in the communications center.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The squad made their way through the dreary forest, creeping along steadily and constantly scanning for enemies.

‘Friends, actually,’ Ahsoka thought heatedly, reaching out in the Force to find the 212th squad they’re meant to run into. 

After several long minutes of marching, Ahsoka signals a halt, the squad was about a hundred paces ahead of them. She could tell they were just as on edge as her own squad.

“Buckets off,” Asoka ordered quietly.

Several troopers stared at her.

“Sir?” Dogma questioned hesitantly.

“I fear we’ve been set up,” Ahsoka stated, “Take off your buckets, set your blasters to stun, and proceed with caution.”

“Yes, sir,” Her squad acknowledged, shock starting to appear in their voice as they pulled off their helmets and switched their blaster settings.

Ahsoka lit her dual sabers, raising them in a defensive position. She led her squad forward.

When they were about twenty-five paces out, she called, “6-Alpha, 3-Gamma, 7-Clanker, 4-Sigma!”

“Commander Tano?” One of the vode called back, voice strangled as they gave the return pass.

The two squads met in the middle, where they would have met in battle.

“Who gave you the intel?” Ahsoka asked.

“General Krell, sir,” Waxer responded, voice carefully controlled, “He said there were Umbarans in stolen 501st armor.”

“He faked similar info for us,” Ahsoka replied, “Except the faked transmission said there were troops in 212th armor.”

“What happens now, Commander?” Waxer asked, hesitantly.

“Now,” Ahsoka stated, “Now, we arrest Krell for treason against the Republic.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moment they reached the airbase, Rex called for the rest of the 501st to gather, explaining that Krell had betrayed them.

He ordered vode to fire upon vode.

“We don’t have much time. All of your blasters will be on stun. We cannot risk having one of you killing Krell. I will not risk more harm coming to any of you as a result of Krell’s actions. If Krell refuses to surrender, I will do what I must to protect you all, but none of you are to fire at Krell unless your blaster is on stun. Am I understood?”

Ahsoka made sure she made eye contact with each vod through their buckets.

“Sir, yes sir!”

“Rex, Jesse, Fives, and Echo, you need to have your bucket recordings on. If we can get him to confess to Falling on record, that will help the investigation into this campaign.”

Each of them nodded, checking that their HUDs were recording correctly.

“Alright, let’s move.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Master Krell, you are under arrest for treason against the Republic,” Ahsoka stated calmly.

Krell chuckled darkly.

“So young one, you have finally discovered I have fallen?”

“Indeed.”

“I will hand over this base to the Umbarans, and Count Dooku will reward me greatly.”

“You’re doing this for power, wealth?”

“Because I have seen what is to come.”

“You fell because of a vision of a possible future.”

“No, because there is no other future.”

“The future is always in motion. Will you surrender and come peacefully?”

He responded by igniting his saber, lunging towards the nearest vod.

Ahsoka force pushed them away, igniting her own sabers and locking them against Krell.

“Surrender Master Krell.”

He chuckled once again.

“Never.”

All that followed was the clashing of blades, sparks flying as lightsabers danced around each other.

Vode firing stun blasters at the Fallen Jedi.

In the end, Ahsoka cut off his arms. There was no other option that did not risk the safety of her vode or the campaign.

It was an honorable fight on her part. She won justly.

They had his confession on holo.

Ahsoka turned off her sabers.

Before Krell could be locked in one of the prison cells, he stood, lunging for Ahsoka's neck aiming to kill her.

Ahsoka reacted to the threat, igniting one of her sabers, which struck Krell through the chest.

Krell was dead within minutes.

“Get the comms online,” Ahsoka ordered, “We need to report this to General Kenobi as soon as possible. Everyone else, prepare for the coming attack. We need to hold this base or Krell won.”

“Sir, yes, sir!” The troopers acknowledged.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Master Kenobi,” Ahsoka said once the comm connected, “I’m afraid I have a situation to report on.”

Obi-Wan crossed his arms, raising one hand to his chin, “Yes, Ahsoka? Where is Master Krell?”

“We’ve secured the airbase after some difficulty. Master Krell Fell. He turned traitor and aimed to hand over this base in exchange for a Separatist command. He freely admitted he Fell and planned to join Count Dooku. We have his confession on camera. When we attempted to arrest him, Krell resisted, he was killed by myself in the struggle. I did not wish to, but it was what happened. He refused to surrender and was a threat to the troopers and the campaign.”

“I see,” Obi-Wan said, voice heavy, “Casualties?”

“We sustained heavy losses as a result of Krell’s tactics. Krell completely abandoned the planned strategies in favor of full-frontal assaults, including a march on the capital by way of the main road which was known to be a minefield. We managed to lower the casualty rates through improvisation. We managed to prevent losses from the trap Krell set up. He faked a transmission reporting that Umbarans had killed a 212th squad and stole their armor. A squad was sent out to confront them. I led the squad and was able to recognize the 212th troopers through the Force. Waxer reported his squad received similar intel from Krell, except that the Umbarans were wearing 501st armor. There were many injured during the arrest, including multiple deaths. You can review cam footage that verifies everything I have reported.”

“Alright,” Obi-Wan said, “We’ll rendezvous with you shortly. The remaining Umbaran holdouts have been taken out.”

“Yes, Master,” Ahsoka replied, “We’ve maintained control of the airbase. The Umbarans attempted an attack shortly after we attempted to arrest Krell. We suffered minimal casualties during that engagement.”

“I trust Rex’s tactics were much improved on Krell’s?”

“Yes, Master.”

“We’ll see you soon, Ahsoka. Maintain control of the base and see to your troops.”

“Of course, Master.”

Krell was dead. He couldn't harm anyone again.

The airbase was secure.

Her vode were safe.

That is all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vode - siblings  
> 'ika - little, term of endearment  
> vod'ika - little sibling  
> demagolka - someone who commits atrocities, a war criminal  
> ori'vod - older sibling  
> haran - hell  
> udesii - calm down  
> darjetii - sith  
> osik - a swear  
> vod - sibling
> 
> Krell had it coming, honestly.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	22. Chapter 22

“Padawan Tano, you have been called in front of this council because of the events on Umbara. We would like to hear your account of the events. Why did you stay on Umbara?”

Ahsoka stood before the Jedi Council, most were there in person, with only a few members attending via hologram. Ahsoka bowed before answering the Master of the Order.

“I sensed I was needed on Umbara, so I asked my Master for permission to stay. I followed the Will of the Force. Following Master Krell’s arrival, the campaign began to crumble for the 501st. Master Krell ignored the attack plan that Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker developed, and he ordered only full-frontal assaults that resulted in heavy casualties. He even ordered us to proceed forward into a known minefield.”

Murmurs echoed through the chamber.

“We managed to take the airbase by having a squad break off and infiltrate the base, gaining control of some of the Umbaran ships to aid us. We would have suffered even higher casualties had we only continued the frontal assault. After taking the base, Master Kenobi reported that the 212th was unable to advance on the capital due to long-range missiles and that a Separatist supply ship in orbit was aiding the Umabarans. Master Kenobi’s transmission cut out after Master Krell reported that the 501st would proceed with a full-frontal assault on the capital even with the missiles. We later discovered that Master Krell deliberately disabled transmissions to isolate the 501st and prevent the completion of the campaign.”

The murmurs grew louder at that statement, yet Ahsoka remained calm, her Force presence steady and light.

“I and two troopers, knowing that a frontal assault would end in the death of everyone who attempted it, took the Umbaran ships and destroyed the supply ship. This allowed the 212th to successfully gain control of the capital.”

Ahsoka paused, taking a breath before continuing.

“Master Krell threatened me and the two troopers upon our return to the airbase. He wanted to execute the two troopers immediately. While I attempted to reason with him, a transmission appeared at our comm station even though the transmissions had remained down. We later discovered that the transmission had been previously recorded and set to play at that time. The trooper had no identifying markings on their armor and did not give a designation or name. The transmission reported that Umbarans had taken down a squad of 212th troopers and stole their armor. Master Krell ordered a squad of 501st troopers to go and take care of the group before they reached the airbase. Master Krell attempted to keep me from accompanying them, but the Force was insistent that I needed to go with them. If I hadn’t vode would have fired upon vode. I sensed the troopers in the 212th squad and had my squad remove their helmets before we met them. Upon meeting the squad, Lieutenant Waxer reported that Krell reported Umbarans had stolen 501st armor. The Lieutenant submitted a recording of the transmission.”

There was dead silence in the chamber.

Ahsoka had never seen Master Windu appear so angry, and his eyes were squinted, as if in pain.

Master Yoda’s ears had drooped.

Master Plo looked pained and furious, breathing deeply to remain calm. Ahsoka noticed some bright yellow sparks dancing around his fingertips.

Master Obi-Wan was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed and hand stroking his beard, his upset clear in his posture and through the Force. 

“We attempted to arrest Master Krell for his betrayal of the Republic. During the attempted arrest, Master Krell admitted that he had Fallen and intended to join Count Dooku. We gave him every opportunity to surrender and come peacefully. I did what was needed to defend my troops. Master Krell did not surrender even once I disabled him to arrest him. He lunged at me, and I reacted to the threat I sensed in the Force. After his death, we defended the airbase against Umbarans attempting to retake it. As soon as we restored comms, I reported what had transpired to Master Kenobi.”

Silence reigned in the chamber for a long moment.

“Sorry, we are, that faced that, you had to,” Master Yoda spoke, breaking the silence.

“We have already viewed the many recordings of Master Krell’s arrest, and you have not Fallen. Padawan Tano, the council finds no fault in your actions. You are dismissed.”

Ahsoka bowed before turning and walking out of the Council chamber.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was something different about Padawan Tano, Mace knew.

He also knew Plo knew what it was. Mace has known the Kel Dor for years, and he can tell when his friend was keeping something from him.

He also knew he’d never get Plo to confess to knowing anything.

Obi-Wan also knew, but he also would never say anything. Mace would know he’s keeping something from him, but he’d never find out what it is.

Mace decided the best course of action is to simply talk to Tano himself.

“Greetings, Master Windu.”

It appears Tano expected him.

“Padawan Tano, may I join you?”

“Of course, Master.”

Mace carefully settled on the grass next to the young Togruta. It was truly a lovely day in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, and the corner the Padawan had chosen was quiet and secluded, calm.

“I can tell something is going on Padawan, even if I do not know what it is exactly.”

“There is much occurring, Master, every moment impacts the future.”

“Indeed, the future is always in motion. What exactly is going on, Padawan?”

“Master Kenobi asked me to give you this,” Tano said, handing him a datapad, “Much will be explained through the information in this datapad. The datapad is locked with the highest level security codes. Everything depends on maintaining secrecy right now, so you must forgive me for remaining vague.”

Mace could barely look at the datapad for all of the shatter points dancing around it.

“I see the importance, Padawan. Thank you for your time.”

Ahsoka nodded to him as he rose to leave, easily returning to her meditation.

Mace walked briskly to his office, locking the door behind him, turning on the jammer he kept in his desk, and unlocking the datapad.

He sat down at his desk, reading through all of the information. 

“Kriffing Sith hells, Kenobi!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vode - siblings
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	23. Chapter 23

Rex ambled back into the darkened 501st barracks on Coruscant, pocketing his commlink and chuckling as several of his vode groaned and swore at the harsh light streaming in behind Rex.

The Torrent dorm of the barracks was in disarray, bunks shoved to the walls, pillows scattered everywhere, mattresses covering the floor, and vode akk-piled in the center.

“Ahsoka’s been cleared!” Rex called in a stage-whisper, careful not to wake his vode who had finally managed to find peaceful rest in the aftermath of Umbara.

A hushed cheer rose from the half-awake troopers lounging in the pile, several motioning for Rex to rejoin them.

Fives and Echo were lying intertwined, while Tup rested their head on Fives’ stomach. Tup visibly nodding off as Fives ran his free hand gently through their hair. Dogma was firmly encased in Tup’s arms, face buried in their chest and finally asleep. He had been shaking in his boots since remembering, barely holding it together until they got back to the Resolute. Tear tracks still shined on his cheeks, but his breathing was steady and deep. Echo nodded at Rex from where he laid with a datapad between Fives and Dogma.

Jesse and Kix were beside the group, Jesse pretty much covering Kix. Thankfully, Kix was also sleeping. He had been running double shifts in the Medbay all the way back to Coruscant. There were fewer injuries this time, but plenty of vode still needed medical treatment. Jesse watched as Kix slept, warmth in his gaze. 

Hardcase was starfished on the other side of them, snoring loudly and drooling onto the pillow he clutched to the side of his face.

Rex snorted, peeling off the top half of his armor that he put on to answer his comm. He leisurely made his way back into the middle of the vod-pile, careful to avoid random limbs as he flopped back into his spot watching over his vode.

‘Yeah,’ He thought, ‘We’re going to be okay.’

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three senate meetings to protect, several Senators complaining about random, pointless things that technically aren’t his concern, and Torrent were in town.

‘Yeah,’ Fox drawled as he stood listening to another Senator rant, ‘Today has just been great.’

Torrent had returned for shore leave several days ago. At first, everything had been suspiciously quiet, but then again, Fox had read the report on their latest campaign. He strongly suspected they all stayed in their barracks for a day to breathe in a relatively safe space.

Last night was another story.

Torrent had swarmed 79’s and got up to their standard explosive shenanigans and obnoxious gallivanting.

Fox was not amused.

The Guard had arrested most of Torrent, and they were still in the drunk tank. He didn’t know what all they drank last night, but it definitely wasn’t just the standard 79’s brew. They hadn’t sounded remotely understandable until noon at the earliest.

Fox couldn’t wait for Rex to get here so he can release the disorderly vode. There are never any professional vode in Torrent, Rex included, Rex was a menace and a shebs.

No wonder he was adopted by Squad Shebse back on Kamino.

His comm beeped as the Senator finally shut up and left. Sighing, he turned and walked back to the Guard station, seeing that Rex was en route.

‘Kriffing finally,’ Guard has better things to do than babysit drunk vode, but they were a bit more sympathetic this time. The 501st had been through enough in the last month.

Fox got there just before Rex breezed in, another 501st trooper on his heel.

“Sorry Fox, I’ll get them out of your graying hair now.”

Fox scoffed, “Just get them out of my drunk tank. The Guard has better things to do than babysit your troops.”

Rex rolled his eyes before turning to his vode splayed out all over the cell.

“All right, on your feet troopers!” Rex shouted, command clear in his voice, “You’ve slept enough and you’ve got plenty of drills to run! Let’s go!”

Fox almost smirked, but reigned in the urge, redirecting his sightline from the vode stumbling to their feet and out of the cell.

His eyes landed on the vod who came in with Rex. He was at strict parade rest, disguising their analyzing gaze with standard nonchalance and protocol. Fox walked over to him and removed his helmet, extending a hand.

“Commander Fox.”

The vod removed his helmet to reveal a stylized V tattoo on his face, “Dogma, sir.”

“Nice to meet you,” Fox huffed, “You seem to have some sense to you, unlike the di’kut’e over there.”

“I try, sir,” Dogma responds quietly, a subtle hint of sadness or guilt in his voice, but he’s hidden it well.

“That’s all we can do,” Fox answers, clapping him on the shoulder guard before turning to face Rex.

He found Rex smirking at him as he hustled his troopers out of the Guard station.

“All set, Fox?”

“Yeah, get out of here. Don’t let them get into any more trouble.”

Rex salutes snarkily as he exited the building.

Dogma turned back to Fox from where he watched his vode traipse out into the bright Coruscanti day, falling into a salute.

“Pleasure meeting you, sir,” Dogma says before starting to follow Rex.

“Vod,” Fox called, silently cursing himself, “You busy later?”

“No, sir?”

“Drop the sir. Would you want to get dinner? I know a good diner.”

Dogma’s ears turned an interesting shade of red.

“Sure, er, Fox.”

“Alright, I’ll meet you outside your barracks at 19:00?”

“Yeah,” Dogma squeaked, nodding sharply before turning and following the rest of his squad. Fox noticed that the back of his neck matched the shade of his ears.

‘Huh, maybe today isn’t so awful,” Fox thought idly.

“So Fox, who was that trooper who looked so flustered?”

Kriffing Vos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vode - siblings  
> vod - sibling  
> shebs - butt  
> shebse -butts  
> kriff - a swear  
> di'ket'e - idiots
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


	24. Chapter 24

Cody paced through the dimmed hallways of the Negotiator, a cup of caf clutched between his hands.

There were always sleepless nights, but they were assuredly worse lately. They knew Obi-Wan wouldn’t mind being woken when Cody was like this, but he needed sleep too. Cody would never prevent their general from getting what rest he could manage.

So, Cody paced, sipped their caf, kept their turmoil from slipping through the Force bond, and determinedly did their best not to think about Obi-Wan plunging at least a klick into a rock-edged lake.

Cody quickened their steps, not paying attention to where they were heading, too lost in thought.

Their caf had long gone cold. They made the conscious decision to head towards the mess hall to get a fresh cup. They knew they weren’t going to sleep tonight, definitely not until they got eyes on Obi-Wan again.

Force, Cody wished they could check on their general without waking him.

Cody stepped into the deserted mess hall and made their way over to the caf station that was always up and running. 

There were always vode on shift who needed their caf fix. 

Cody quickly fixed a cup of caf, no blue milk, just a pinch of sugar. They made sure to avoid the eye of Snap on their way out, passing the head medic as he stopped by for caf during his night shift in the medbay. Snap was never happy about vode who drank too much caf, yet he drank enough for a krayt dragon.

Cody felt Snap’s glare all the way down the hall as they quickly turned the corner and made a strategic retreat.

Hurrying down the corridors, Cody absentmindedly checked on Obi-Wan through their bond. It was the only thing that kept them calm when they woke up from the nightmares about Utapau. Though, they never truly relaxed until they saw Obi-Wan alive and unharmed.

Cody froze, slowly looking over their shoulder.

Obi-Wan smiled at them softly over a steaming cup of tea, pacing slowly down the hall towards them.

“Hello, Cody.”

“Obi-Wan.”

“Would you like to join me? I have a tin of cookies in my quarters from Ahsoka. She stress bakes.”

“Yes.”

Cody followed Obi-Wan through the corridors, passing several vode making the nightly guard patrols. When they reached Obi-Wan’s quarters, Obi-Wan entered his code and led Cody into the room. The lights turned on, set to the same night setting as the corridors.

Obi-Wan settled cross-legged on his bunk while Cody grabbed the chair from his desk, moving it over to sit next to Obi-Wan.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Obi-Wan asked after a moment of calm.

“Memories, you?”

“Memories.”

It helped, having Obi-Wan within arms reach, knowing he was safe. Cody was so glad that chip is out of their head.

Obi-Wan gently took their hand, holding onto it while steadily meeting Cody’s gaze that shifted from staring into the distance, seeing things that weren’t there.

“I didn’t die there, Cody.”

Cody couldn’t keep the ragged gasp contained. It burst out harshly in the quiet of the room.

“It was never your fault. None of you were at fault.”

“We knew about the chips,” Cody sobbed, “We knew, and we should have done something. I should have done something.”

“I should have done something. The Jedi Council should have done something. It was beyond all of us anyway. We were all manipulated and used. We were all prevented from seeing the truth in front of our eyes.”

“It never should have happened.”

“No, but it won’t happen this time. Nearly every battalion has been de-chipped by now. We are already making a better future. We are already making a future for the Jedi and the Vode possible.”

“He won’t win this time.”

“No, my dear, he certainly will not.”

Each sat, enjoying the other’s presence and sipping their drinks. They leaned against each other in the Force, supporting one another.

Cody cared about this man so much for so long. They had already lost their chance once. Their chance had been ripped from them as they were locked in the dark recesses of their own mind and forced to watch their most trusted friend be shot off a cliff on their order.

Cody knew they could have grown to love Obi-Wan had they had the chance.

Now, they had the chance, and Cody knew they loved him.

They wouldn’t throw away any more chances.

“Obi-Wan.”

The man looked up from his tea, no longer steaming. His eyes were patient yet expectant.

How does one explain the depth of emotion they can feel in their soul?

How can one articulate it?

What language can describe the story in their soul?

Cody could not find the words to say, so they shared what they felt in their soul. 

They sent all of their care, concern, hope, respect, devotion, trust, and love to Obi-Wan.

Tears welled up in Obi-Wan’s eyes as he shared his own hope, respect, care, trust, and love. Mirrored emotions, yet distinctly Obi-Wan’s.

Obi-Wan tugged on Cody’s hand that was still held gently in Obi-Wan’s, pulling them to sit next to him on the bunk.

Cody willingly went, pulling Obi-Wan into a secure hug, their chin rested on top of his head.

“Cyare,” Cody whispered into Obi-Wan’s copper hair.

The two sat, entwined in safety and love. Their bond rings with their shared love based on the care of each other and those they served.

Cody gently rested their forehead against Obi-Wan’s, holding him in a sweet Keldabe kiss for a long moment before shifting and brushing Obi-Wan’s lips with their own.

Obi-Wan sagged against Cody’s chest, his hand rising to brush along their hairline as he returned the kiss.

After a long moment, the two broke apart, breath slightly uneven, yet the happiness and safety they shared remained.

The two remained there in that small space of safety until they heard vode begin to flood the corridors starting another day of the war.

Only then did they part ways, each going to fulfill their duties and work to prevent a dark future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> vode - siblings  
> cyare - beloved
> 
> Snap is my OC Head Medic for the 212th. He'll probably show up more in future chapters. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Phoenix


End file.
